Naruko the Tenjin
by Serfius
Summary: Uzumaki Naruko was four years old when she made her first kill. It had been done in self defense, but how many would see it that way? In order to contain the threat she represented it was agreed that custody would be handed over to Danzo. Fem!Naru, Root!Naru, elements of Rurouni Kenshin and Chrono Cross (Do not need to be familiar with either to understand)
1. A New Home

**Welcome to my second fanfic, Naruko the Tenjin. This story will feature a Fem!Naru, with strong elements of Rurouni Kenshin and Chrono Cross. The current pairing is up in the air, but I'm semi leaning towards Naru/Sai, but that is in no way definite. Maybe there won't even be any pairing.**

**To preempt any confusion, I'll tell you now, Tenjin in this case means Heavenly Blade.**

**Warnings: I despise Sasuke. I'll do my best to keep my loathing of him to a minimum, but I'm sure some of it will bleed through. Soujiro inspired Naruto. Good!Danzo, Root!Naru**

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Rurouni Kenshin or Chrono Cross. I am writing this purely to see reader reaction and for fun. I make no financial profit doing this.

Chapter 1 – A New Home

Naruko had learned a long time ago that everyone hated her. She learned that they enjoyed hurting her. She learned that the more she cried and screamed and pleaded that the more enjoyment they got out of tormenting her. So for the last six months she had made sure to always have a smile on her face.

The villagers still attacked her, but they had lost a great deal of enthusiasm for it. Alongside their hateful and condescending looks were ones of extreme discomfort and confusion. They couldn't comprehend why she kept on smiling no matter what they did.

It was raining tonight. Naruko loved the rain. It was the only time she could safely show any weakness. Every night it rained Naruko would go for a walk. No one would be able to see her tears. They were often the most peaceful times of her life. Everyone was indoors, so no hostile looks were sent her way.

Her short messy blonde hair was plastered to her head, her blue eyes hidden by the constantly squinted eyelids enhancing her vulpine appearance, and her skin was a healthy tan color. She wore an orange shirt and dark green shorts along with a pair of sandals, all very battered and torn and soaked from the rain.

Of course, not every night like this was peaceful for her. Naruko was only slightly surprised to find a group of four people in front of her. The most surprising part was that none of them were drunk. Usually the sober populace would stay away from her in fear of the masked men she occasionally saw following her.

"There's the brat. Let's make this quick before the ANBU catch up, they won't be fooled for long." There were three men and one woman. The woman was the one who spoke. She was a squat woman with a pinched face like she was sucking a lemon and grey streaked hair pulled into a bun on the top of her head. One of the men was heavyset with a crooked nose. He looked like he got into bar fights regularly. The other two men were both rather mousy looking, with beady eyes. The whole group was wearing burgundy robes and straw sandals.

More than familiar with the drill Naruko turned and ran, the smile still on her face. She knew better than to try running into alleys and backstreets. That just took her away from any witnesses. Her best bet was to stay on the main pathways and hope someone would intervene. Every time this happened she would run straight for the nearest shinobi station. The village gates, the Hokage tower, the Academy, and the hospital were the best bets. All of those locations always had at least one team of shinobi or more at all times for security purposes. Even if everyone hated her, the shinobi would be forced to step in or face the Hokage's wrath.

As Naruko turned the corner she slid to a stop, barely maintaining her balance. There were another two men in front of her. They anticipated what she would do when she was first confronted.

Naruko quickly looked around her for another escape route. There were a couple of alleys but she already knew they led to dead ends. She was about to resign herself to another beating when she saw it. There was a wakizashi leaned against a stack of crates. Smile still in place she walked towards it. There was no longer any point in running. She wouldn't be able to get around the men in her way.

The day she had created her mask she had also vowed that she would never allow herself to be beaten again if she could help it. Well that short sword definitely qualified as being able to stop the oncoming beating.

The first group finally caught up to her. "We've finally got you now brat," The fat man from earlier wheezed out, "and no one is going to come save you this time."

When Naruko grabbed the sword the villagers took a step back. "Where did that thing come from?" The woman seemed more furious than anything else, "Kenji, I thought you made sure there was nothing she could use around!?"

"It wasn't there a minute ago!" One of the men who she had almost run into replied.

Naruko spoke for the first time that day. "It doesn't matter where it came from. It's here right now." She unsheathed the wakizashi. "You all seemed very determined to catch me and now you have. So now what?" Her tone was cheerful and happy. It was just one more piece of her mask.

The fat man's face was an interesting shade of brownish red, "Now we kill you!" He leaned forward ready to grab the child. Naruko didn't hesitate, her new sword found itself buried in his throat.

The body hadn't even hit the ground before Naruko had jumped on top of the small woman, sword once again biting into the weak flesh of her neck. Before any of the villagers could shake themselves out of their shock they were down to three people. The only difference now though, was that they died running and screaming.

Naruko now stood in the middle of six corpses, sword held at her side and smile on her face, soaked by the rain.

A man stepped out of one of the alley's Naruko had dismissed earlier. He wore a black kimono with a white yukata underneath and white tabi. He had short black hair and the right side of his face was wrapped in bandages, covering his cheek and eye. On his chin was a distinctive cross shaped scar and in his hand was an umbrella casually laid on his shoulder. His one visible eye was a grayish brown and locked on Naruko.

"I'm glad you found the sword I left for you Naruko-Chan." He slowly stepped towards her, inspecting her work along the way. "I'm even happier that you didn't hesitate to use it."

"This is your sword? Do you want it back?" Even as she asked this she made no motion to offer it to him.

"No, I put that there for you. It's yours now." He paused several feet away from the girl. "My name is Shimura Danzo, and I have an offer for you. I want to train in you the shinobi arts. This village is wasting your potential, and I cannot stand to see it."

"You want to train me as a shinobi? Why would you do something like that Danzo-San?"

"Because I believe that you can become the most powerful shinobi Konoha has ever produced. In the end, it's only the fittest that survive. If you're strong you live, if you're weak you die." These words would resonate within Naruko for a long time. "I intend for Konoha to be strong, and for that it needs strong shinobi."

Normally Naruko would never entertain the idea of going with a stranger. It had never worked out well for her in the past. It only resulted in more beatings. But the wakizashi was comforting in her hand. "Alright, I'll come with you."

"…Are you crying?"

Naruko felt a thrum of fear. Did he see her weakness? "No Danzo-San." Her face and voice remained completely unchanged.

Danzo only nodded, "Come with me then, you'll stay the night at my home and we'll see the Hokage tomorrow."

Danzo led her to a medium sized two story compound. He showed her to the room she would be staying in, a large room with a bed almost three times the size of the tattered mat she had in her apartment sat on one side with end tables on either side of it. There was a closet with several sets of clothing in her size, he'd clearly anticipated her agreement, and a desk and chair under a window. To the left of the bed was her own personal bathroom complete with shower and tub. All in all, it was about a thousand times better than where she had been living since leaving the orphanage.

"This will be your room. My room is down at the end of the hall. Do not disturb me there unless there is an emergency. My office is the room to the left of my room, do not ever go in there unless I tell you to."

His introduction over, Danzo left Naruko alone and entered his office. Naruko stood in the doorway to her new room for a minute, processing her new situation. She finally decided on a shower and then bed time.

* * *

"You want to what?" Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't know whether he was more surprised or suspicious. Shimura Danzo had just walked into his office with Uzumaki Naruko telling him that he was going to take her on as an apprentice.

"I've offered to train Naruko-Chan in the shinobi arts. Last night I found her being attacked by some of the villagers. Before I could intervene Naruko had already killed her assailants." Naruko's face remained unchanging, the mention of last night's incident apparently forgotten.

"The entire incident was a matter of self defense for Naruko-Chan. In the interests of furthering her ability to protect herself, I offered my help and she accepted."

The Hokage hummed, "How exactly did Naruko-Chan manage this?" Every time Naruko came to his attention he became saddened. The poor girl didn't deserve the hate piled upon her. Those few who had volunteered to take the girl either had too much of a political position and were therefore blocked by the other political blocs so they didn't obtain the influence of the village jinchuuriki or didn't have the resources to protect both the girl and themselves from the villages hostility, because it was certain that whoever took the girl would face the same animosity she did.

"I found an old wakizashi Hokage-Sama. It was very helpful. Danzo-San said it would be alright to keep it." She didn't mention that the wakizashi had belonged to Danzo, but everything she said had been the truth.

Sarutobi had to keep himself from cringing. That smile did not belong on any child. It was so obviously fake to his experienced eyes. It was painful to see.

"And you want to train with Danzo Naruko-Chan?" Sarutobi had to make some form of effort at convincing Naruko not to do this, but he didn't think he could change her mind. And something would have to be done anyways. Naruko had never killed a villager before. The council would demand a response, and putting her in Danzo's care to keep an eye on the girl was a solution with some degree of appeal. It would even get past the political obstacles because it was not an adoption into a clan, merely an apprenticeship. Officially at any rate, unofficially it may as well be adoption in the case of orphans.

Danzo would do his best to make sure Naruko was loyal to the village. He was certainly capable of teaching her to protect herself. Her living conditions would see a marked improvement, and under Danzo's wing it would be far less likely that any villager would be willing to threaten the girl again.

"I do Hokage-Sama."

Sarutobi held in a resigned sigh, it would not do to show Danzo any weakness to exploit. "Very well Naruko-Chan, you'll be the apprentice of Shimura Danzo as soon as our next council meeting in a few days." Sarutobi turned to Danzo, "I imagine she will be staying with you?"

"Yes Hokage-Sama." He was careful to keep his outward expression neutral, but on the inside he was celebrating. Naruko would be Konoha's greatest asset, although he would have his work cut out for him getting the girl to think of Konoha in any positive light.

* * *

**And there's chapter one of Naruko the Tenjin. I hope you enjoyed and please don't forget to review and let me know what you think. Any feedback and constructive criticism is welcome.**

**If you're having trouble picturing it, or didn't pick it up because of my own ineptitude, Naruko **_**always**_** has her fake smile on except for when she sleeps and is often, but not always squinting her eyes. The smile is like Sai's or Soujiro's from Rurouni Kenshin.**


	2. Training Begins

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Rurouni Kenshin or Chrono Cross. I am writing this purely to see reader reaction and for fun. I make no financial profit doing this.

Chapter 2 – Training Begins

"She should be locked away! She's a menace to society. She makes the villagers nervous, and now it's lead to the death of six civilians and the betrayal of one of our ANBU." Uchiha Fugaku had been the biggest pusher for punishing Naruko, but to be fair it wasn't just because he hated her. As the head of Konoha's Military Police he had to deal with all the complaints of her presence and all the threats towards the girl tied up a not insignificant portion of his manpower regularly.

"That's not her fault! She hasn't broken any laws and you know it! Elder Danzo himself has verified her actions as self defense, and there are no other witnesses to the event. Not even the ANBU agent that was supposed to be shadowing Uzumaki-San. And we know that those killed were involved in the unauthorized change in ANBU duties." Inuzuka Tsume had been surprisingly fierce in her defense of Naruko. She had been one of those blocked from adopting Naruko when she had been orphaned. She was impressed by the girl's guts. That she had been able to keep going despite all the crap thrown at her. And now she had been able to defend herself from six fully grown adults with just a wakizashi she had never even been taught how to use. It was just a damn shame about that mask of hers.

It turned out that the people who had attacked her had also arranged for a fairly new member to the ANBU rosters to sabotage the duty postings. So instead of Hebi keeping an eye on the girl like had been planned, Naruko had been allowed to move without an escort. Hebi had been absolutely furious when she found out. She had arrived at the eastern wall and met up with the ANBU team there only to discover that the team leader did not have her assigned to him.

So she and one other member from the wall had gone to report to the Hokage. Every ANBU assignment went through him from the ANBU Commander. It didn't take long for the ANBU investigation specialists to determine the culprit. Koroshi Kagari, a twenty six year old high Chuunin level shinobi who had been blackmailed by the woman who led the attack on Naruko. She had been a narcotics dealer who had gotten Koroshi addicted to her opium products. Her operation and wares had quickly been seized and Kagari detained for questioning and reevaluation. But not before Hebi had managed to vent her rage on him a bit. And then she put in for transfer to the T&I division.

"She hasn't broken any laws no, and I don't want to punish her for defending herself. But it is true that we must do something to keep the villagers calm." Nara Shikaku was firmly on Naruko's side in this matter, as were his old friends Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Chouza. They didn't hate the girl, but neither did they particularly care for her. As long as she didn't directly hurt them they would leave her alone, but they wouldn't go out of their way for her either.

This was the opening Danzo and Sarutobi had been waiting for. The issue had been raised half an hour ago and Naruko had been brought in to sit before them and tell her version of events. Then Danzo as the only other witness told his version. They had to let the other Council members have their say in the matter, and now that they had, Danzo could make his move to officially place Naruko under his tutelage.

"I propose that the girl be handed over to me for proper training and monitoring. She has great potential, and this is the first time something like this has happened. Now that her attackers have grown so bold as to attempt something like this, she must be able to defend herself. In addition to this it would free up some of our internal security forces who would normally have to keep an eye on her." With this he had shot down any legitimate objections from Fugaku. Danzo's reputation as a stern, no nonsense patriot would quell those who feared and hated Naruko.

Now would be the hardest part, convincing those that actively supported Naruko to allow her into his care.

"And how do we know you're not just going to try turning her into your puppet? Your personal attack dog?" The phrase attack dog may have seemed derogatory, but coming from an Inuzuka that was a compliment to Naruko's potential. The Inuzuka placed a great deal of faith in their Ninken. They were their most prized assets. So comparing Naruko to an attack dog meant they thought she was worthy of their respect. "We are aware of the training your Root operatives go through."

"Naruko would be no ordinary Root agent. In fact, you would hardly call her one at all. She is far too high profile of a person to have operating in the shadows, an unknown and unseen protector. No, I intend to build her into a symbol of our might. She will grow in the light and leave all in awe of her. She will be trained among my operatives. But she will not undergo the emotional conditioning of my agents."

This stalled Tsume's protective rampage. The skill and power of Danzo's Root ANBU was undeniable. He also had never shown any animosity towards the girl, in fact he had shown anger at her treatment. Since Danzo had given his word to his fellow shinobi that Naruko would be safe from his emotion suppressing practices, this was sounding rather appealing. It would mean that Naruko avoided a punishment, learned to protect herself, and gained a guardian in one of the most influential men in Konoha.

Sarutobi could sense the changing mindsets and decided to put the final nail in the coffin. "Naruko-Chan, what do you think of this?"

Naruko had been sitting very patiently in the chair provided, smiling cheerfully and swinging her legs back and forth. "I want Danzo-Sama to train me." There it was, no reasons given, just a simple response. And it was more than enough to carry the motion.

Calling for a vote resulted in a unanimous decision, though some votes very grudgingly given. Uzumaki Naruko would be placed into the care and tutelage of Shimura Danzo effective immediately.

* * *

Now that Naruko was effectively in his custody, the first thing to do was get her checked over by a physician. So he summoned his personal healer, Sahashi Yumi, the only woman who could get away with yelling at and ordering around Danzo since his wife had died.

As Naruko's guardian, Danzo could now access her medical files. But he wanted to get as up to date a report as possible. When Yumi arrived he asked her to perform a full check up on Naruko.

"Naruko-Chan, this is my physician Sahashi Yumi." She looked to be in her late forties with hair just beginning to go gray. She wore a blue kimono and carried a medium sized pack that had various seals inside and on top of it.

"Hello Sahashi-Sensei." Naruko watched her carefully. She hadn't had many good experiences with doctors.

"Hello Naruko-Chan, I'm happy to meet you. Can you tell me when your last check up was?"

"Check up? Well the last time I was in a hospital was a couple of weeks ago when a bunch of drunks beat me up and lodged broken glass in my hands. Then one of the doctors tried poisoning me. Hokage-Sama told me he got rid of him though."

Yumi held in her scowl so as not to alarm Naruko. Naruko's medical reports had been woefully inadequate, with little detail and treatment description. Apparently her previous doctors had been criminally negligent in their duties. Well, she would make sure that Naruko's medical needs were met appropriately from now on.

"Alright Naruko-Chan, I'm just going to make sure there's nothing wrong with your body, okay?"

At Naruko's nod Yumi quickly formed the hand seals necessary for a basic diagnostic jutsu, forming a haze of green chakra over her hands. It was only a few moments before she let out a gasp of surprise.

"Is something wrong Yumi-Sensei?" Danzo asked

Clearing her throat Yumi replied, "Surprisingly very little Danzo-Sama. She is slightly malnourished, but not nearly as much as I expected. She also has a massive chakra capacity; larger than many shinobi ever have in their whole careers. But the thing that really startled me was her bone and muscle structure, and her immune system. Her bones and muscles are far denser than a normal shinobi's, both about four times stronger than you would expect in a girl her age and size. And her immune system is the strongest I've ever seen. Have you ever been sick Naruko-Chan?"

"No Yumi-Sensei. The other kids would always be mean to me because they got sick and I didn't." There were other reasons of course, but this was one they came up with all on their own.

"Well, judging from what my diagnostic tells me, you may very well never be sick a day in your life." But on the other hand, if she did ever get sick they would have to quarantine her very quickly. Something that could get past an immune system like hers would likely devastate the entire village at least.

"So what's the verdict Yumi-Sensei?"

"Naruko-Chan is a healthy, if underfed girl that could probably survive a small building falling on top of her. Because the malnourishment is such a light case of it, there's no need to be particularly careful about her nutrition and volume of food consumed. In fact, I would say let her eat as much as she can, and she'll find herself in nutritionally prime condition very quickly. You know what kind of foods to give her." **(1)**

Yumi then clapped her hands and said, "Let's move on to the physical exam then. We have to check to see if you're getting enough exercise Naruko-Chan."

Danzo led them into his backyard. It had been walled off and sealed so he could train there undisturbed.

Yumi opened up her bag and pulled out a small set of weights. "Naruko-Chan, I want you to pick up these weights until you find one you can't lift okay?" The weights ranged from one pound to fifteen. She didn't think she would need anything heavier for a four year old. She was wrong, but during her diagnostic she had already suspected this would happen. Naruko had been easily able to lift every single weight present.

"Very good Naruko-Chan, you're upper body strength is quite good for a four year old. Next I want to see your stamina and leg strength." She walked over to a tree at the edge of the yard and slapped a large orange sticker on it. "Please run between here and Danzo-Sama as many times as you can." She said as she readied a stop watch.

This turned out to be a rather long exercise. Naruto had been running back and forth between the two points for twenty minutes now at a pace any four year old would be exhausted by in less than two minutes. And she wasn't even slowing down. Watching closely she was actually very slowly speeding up. After twenty five minutes of this Yumi finally called out for Naruko to stop and she came to a halt slightly out of breath.

"Well that's just amazing Naruko-Chan. I've never seen someone your age run for so long and so fast before in my life."

Danzo watched patiently and with more than a little excitement as the tests progressed. There could be no doubt that she would be very powerful someday. "So is she alright to begin training Yumi-Sensei?" He wanted to get started immediately, but he knew better than to contradict a doctor's orders so easily.

"Well I would like her to have a better diet for at least week first, but yes. Everything I've seen indicates that Naruko-Chan is more than ready to begin training. Just keep it relatively light for the first couple of weeks."

Danzo agreed easily enough. He had already been planning to take things lightly the first week. It's not like he could just move on to jutsu teaching right away. The beginning would be largely academic teachings.

Naruko's life quickly fell into a routine. She would wake up at eight am, eat a huge breakfast, meet one of Danzo-Sama's shadow clones for lessons including learning how to read, Math, History, Geography, and chakra theory. She wouldn't learn how to mold her chakra for a few months at least, but Danzo had already taught her how to find it. Her lessons would break for an hour for Lunch and then continue at one pm. They would finally end at three pm, at which point Naruko would meet the real Danzo for physical training, which would continue until seven pm.

Danzo hadn't expected to be able to train her for four hours straight with the occasional breather. There weren't many people that could keep going for so long, especially for a child. But she just kept on going, like an unstoppable force. And then the next day she would be sore in the morning and during their lessons but by the time physical training rolled around again she was raring to go, and at a level even higher than the last day. She healed at an enormous rate, so her muscles didn't need nearly as long a normal persons to heal and strengthen. And he could clearly see that she enjoyed it. Occasionally, for a very brief moment an actual smile would break through her mask.

She enjoyed her lessons greatly, but her favorite part was definitely the physical training. She had always been an active girl, and sometimes being kept in a classroom could bore her, but she liked actually being taught something. This was the first time anyone had been willing to teach her. Not even Hokage-Sama had ever taught her anything helpful.

At the end of her first day of training, she crawled into her bed sore and exhausted. She began having dreams. Dreams of a glorious two bladed staff she would later come to learn was called a Swallow. It was seven feet long, the blades on either side were two feet, six inches long, and the handle area was two feet long. One blade was very elegant looking with flowing curves and some etching that Naruko couldn't read along the flat side. Closer to the handle on one side of the blade was a hook like protrusion. The other blade was much more vicious looking. It was still a very elegant design, but it had several, very dangerous looking hook forming edges to it. **(2) **These dreams would follow her for several years, and whenever she brought it up with Danzo he could only tell her he didn't know what it was. Danzo spoke to some contacts that specialized in Psychiatry who told him that it may be a result of her new found joy in training, or the desire to fight or defend herself. They warned him to look out for bouts of unacceptable violent urges. Deeming the issue to be benign, he let it drop.

* * *

**Time Skip – Age 7**

It has been three years since Naruko's training began. Her progress had gone well beyond Danzo's expectations. Every challenge he set for her she overcame. Every test he gave her she passed. She was attentive in her academics and energetic in her physical training. The biggest challenges for the girl had been the chakra control exercises, but her diligence and the determination to become stronger drove her to conquer even those obstacles. She had reduced many trees to mulch while doing it, but she had done it none the less.

She had been particularly ardent in her wakizashi training. By now she had mastered its uses. The only way left for her to make any appreciable improvement would be through real combat.

But there were still a few problems Danzo still hadn't been able to resolve satisfactorily. She couldn't function properly in society outside of shinobi activity, and he had yet to solidly tie her loyalty to Konoha. He knew she was loyal to him. He was the only one she would ever actually smile around, and that was still very rare.

He had to get her out into the village without him at her side. She had to make friends to tie her to the village or she would flee the village the day he died. Danzo decided that he would introduce her to the boy he had chosen to groom for his position. A boy her age named Sai. He had a very similar personality to Naruko. Intelligent, talented, yet emotionally stunted. He had responded a little too strongly to his emotional conditioning. Danzo didn't want his agents emotionless, which would weaken their resolve to protect Konoha. He wanted his agents in complete control of their emotions.

"Naruko-Chan, I have someone I want you to meet. You will be working together in the future and should get to know one another."

"Yes Danzo-Sama." Naruko now wore dark purple shirt under a burnt orange jacket that ended before reaching her naval. Under the jackets shoulders was a weave of armor plating that offered good protection while maintaining flexibility. On her legs she had dark purple jeans and black shinobi sandals. Her wakizashi was strapped to her left hip and she had two equipment pouches, a larger one at her lower back, and a standard sized one at her right hip. On her right thigh she had a kunai and shuriken holder. Her hair was still short and messy, just reaching her jaws in length and she still had her smile and cheerful voice.

Naruko followed the direction Danzo's voice came from, arriving in the backyard training ground. Next to Danzo was a very pale boy who looked about Naruko's age and was just a little bit shorter than her. He had short black hair, a black t-shirt, black pants, and black shinobi sandals. He certainly wasn't very colorful. But the thing that immediately drew Naruko's attention was his expression. Because that was _her_ expression. The fake smile, the squinted eyes, and she was willing to bet her wakizashi that he had the same cheerful voice.

"Naruko-Chan, this is Sai. You two will be training and learning together from today on."

"Hello Naruko-San. I look forward to working with you." Yup, same cheerful tone.

"Hello Sai-San. You're very pale. You could almost be a ghost."

"I don't go out very often. Until now I primarily resided in one of the Root underground training facilities."

It was a little disconcerting seeing the two in one place. They were practically mirrors of each other personality wise. But hopefully Naruko would grow as or more comfortable around Sai as she was Danzo, and hopefully Sai would recover some of his emotional capability by interacting with Naruko. Their similarities should make it easier for them to bond.

"I have an assignment for you two." Both Naruko and Sai snapped to attention, expressions intact. "You two are to work together, go into the village, and make at least one friend." This assignment was beyond strange for Root operatives, but it was necessary this time. Naruko had to be able to function in society if she were to become the symbol he knew she could be. She had to learn how to interact with people outside of work. And she had to find a reason to protect Konoha other than being ordered to. The same for Sai if he was to take over as head of Root. He could not properly lead if he could not properly express himself. If he didn't make any treasured connections he would never find the right motivation and determination. Danzo loved Konoha. He loved it because it was his home. But these two didn't consider it home.

The two didn't respond for several moments. "Uh, make at least one friend Danzo-Sama? How do we do that?" Naruko had never made a friend before. The other kids would never let her stay near them.

"Figuring that out is part of the assignment."

"How long do we have Danzo-Sama?" Sai had never made any friends before either. He could already tell that this would be a difficult assignment.

"Indefinite. Further training will be on hold until this assignment has been accomplished."

This managed to get a reaction from them. Their eyes snapped open, although the smiles remained. Naruko was the first to reply.

"But Danzo-Sama, you always said that training was important and should be done every day."

"This is another form of training. Social interaction is crucial to shinobi and their ability to blend in."

"But Danzo-Sama, Root operates in the darkness, unseen and unknown. Why would I need to be able to do this?" Sai asked.

"Not every Root mission is conducted in the dark. And there are many ways to be unseen and unknown. Some of them are in plain sight of everyone." Danzo turned and began walking away. "Now get to it you two. The quicker you complete the assignment, the quicker you may resume your normal training."

Naruko turned to Sai with her smile when Danzo had left their sight. "Do you have any idea how to do this?"

Sai turned to face Naruko with his own smile. "Not a clue."

* * *

**There's chapter two. I'm not sure how I feel about it. Let me know what you thought, any feedback and constructive criticism is welcome. There will be a few more time skips before we reach the beginning of the series.**

**(1) I don't know if this is an absolutely terrible thing for a medical practitioner to say, please don't tear my head off for it.**

**(2) This will be Naruko's primary weapon. I had a lot of trouble trying to describe it, please check out the link on my profile to see what it looks like.**


	3. Social Confusion

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Rurouni Kenshin or Chrono Cross. I am writing this purely to see reader reaction and for fun. I make no financial profit doing this.

Chapter 3 – Social Confusion

Naruko and Sai, not having any clue how to proceed with their new assignment, did what anyone would do. Research and study. They made their way to a nearby bookstore and ended up in the 'How-To' section, where they bought a copy of 'How to Make Friends'.

Now they were huddled over it on a bench outside, trying to determine just how accurate it really was. The first step, it said, was to go out and talk to people. But there was a problem with that…How do you talk to people? Sure they understood the physical phenomenon, but what, were they just supposed to approach random people and start talking at them? Judging from the book, yes, they were.

Naruko didn't know about Sai, but whenever that happened to her, she ran away more often than not. Oh well, maybe some of those people she ran away from were trying to be her friend way back when. She didn't think so though, they often looked pretty mean to her.

The two read the book in its entirety before they even thought about beginning their mission, in order to maximize their chances. Once they had finished the book Naruko shook her head in disappointment.

"I don't think this book is going to be very helpful. I already do a lot of these things but I never made a friend before." She stuffed the book into one of the pockets on her jacket, the top sticking up out of it. "It says that smiling is a powerful tool to draw people to you, but in my experience people just start feeling uncomfortable. It also says to sound positive. I do this too, but again, that just seems to confuse people. I'm polite too, but that never helped." Of course, Naruko failed to take into account that these people were almost exclusively people that were trying their best to cause her harm.

Personally, she thought this whole assignment was nuts. She remembered attempting to make friends before she met Danzo-Sama, and it never worked. Not for long anyways. In the beginning it seemed like she would be super popular amongst her peers, but then an adult would come by and scold them away from her. But this was an assignment from probably the most important person in her life, so she would do it, no matter how difficult.

"Who should we talk to first Sai-San?"

"How about him? He's a shinobi, so we should have a few things in common, and by the looks of it he's very skilled." Sai pointed at the foliage of a nearby tree.

"Who? I don't see anyone."

"Right there, look closely. He has armor, and a mask, and a sword." He grabbed her head and tilted it in the precise direction he had been pointing.

After a few moments Naruko finally saw it. There _was_ a ninja there. "Amazing Sai-San, I never would've seen him on my own. You have really good eyes." Sai did indeed have very good eyes. It was necessary for his fighting style. Some of his skill set was very unorthodox, but had great potential. He could draw pictures with ink that had been saturated in his chakra, and summon them from the surface they had been created on to do his bidding. This of course required supreme attention to detail, as well as the ability to transcribe that detail quick enough to draw it in the middle of a fight without being killed. Most people would be hard pressed to avoid his notice.

The fact that Sai noticed something that Naruko didn't said wonders about the boy's powers of perception. Naruko herself had very good eyes, but she had completely overlooked the man in the trees foliage.

"Okay, let's go talk to him then, he doesn't seem busy."

Now, their reasoning for picking this target was sound. He was a shinobi, they were shinobi in training. He had a sword, Naruko had a sword. Surely there would be _something_ they could talk about. Heck he might even tell them some cool stories about the missions he's been on.

"Hello Ninja-San." Naruko called up to him cheerfully as the two reached the trees trunk. "What are you doing up there?"

The problem with their choice is that this particular ninja is a member of ANBU…and is currently on duty… He had seen one of the kids pointing at him, but he dismissed it as a fluke due to a children's game. Then they walked over and started talking to him. The only thought that went through his mind as they kept speaking was _'How the hell did they notice me?'_ Was he that bad at hiding that a couple of seven year olds could spot him?

"Ninja-San! Can you hear me!?" Naruko was getting progressively louder as the man tried to ignore them. Nearby civilians were giving them strange looks, and nearby shinobi were trying to decide whether they should burst out laughing or try to herd the kids away before they got in trouble. They of course went with the more amusing choice and decided to make the ANBU handle it.

"Maybe he's asleep Sai-San. He isn't answering." The ANBU began to get hopeful that they would finally leave before he had to find a new place to keep watch.

"No, he's awake Naruko-San. I can see his eyes behind the slits in his mask. He's looking at us actually."

The ANBU's hand smacked into his tiger themed mask, momentarily forgetting the decorum expected of a member of Konoha's elite black ops. Since these kids clearly weren't going to let this go, he sighed and hopped down from his perch. He couldn't use this particular hiding place any longer now that so much attention had been drawn to it by the two.

"What is it?" He said, managing to keep the irritation out of his voice.

Both kids minds went completely blank. Usually whenever they talked to people they had a very clear topic in mind, such as status reports, training results, a need for more training equipment, a request for food, clarifying a mission, _something_. But all the book had told them was to _talk_ to people. What the hell were they supposed to do now!?

Sai and Naruko were looking at each other now, seeing the panic both were feeling reflected in each other's posture. Both of their eyes were wide open. Danzo had managed to send them both so far outside their zones of comfort they weren't sure they would be able to find their way back. Then in perfect synchronization they both turned back to Tora, easily creeping him out with their fake smiles.

Another passage from their book came to Naruko. 'Make sure to pay others compliments'. "Uhhh," began Naruko, "…I like your mask…it looks…really…likeable…" She said haltingly.

Sai gave Naruko a thumbs up. She seemed to be doing well, utilizing multiple steps from the book simultaneously. Speaking to the target, complimenting them, maintaining eye contact, and keeping a smile on her face so that they know she's being friendly. In all honesty, he was impressed at how well she was doing. He hoped that he would be able to do the same.

Tora opened his mouth to yell at the kids for wasting his time and ruining his cover, but the blonde girl's eyes stopped him cold. He couldn't tell before because they had been squinted shut until just a moment ago, but now he was staring at the widest, most innocent, and guileless eyes he had ever seen. There was a slightly wary look in them as well, like she was expecting a violent reaction. Behind all of that was a promise, roaring at him that if she had to, she would protect herself and god help you if you were on the wrong end of it.

He knew who she was. He knew what she did three years ago. But this was not the face of the mad killer some people liked to paint her as. This was the face of someone who doesn't know how to function in society. Both kids had that face. Then he noticed the saddest thing he's seen in years. A book sticking out of the girl's pocket with the title 'How to Make Friends'.

Completely uncharacteristic of the ANBU he's supposed to be, Tora reached out and gave a Naruko a pat on the head. "Thanks, one of our most important duties is to keep these masks in good condition."

If it were possible, Naruko's eyes went even wider, with shock and confusion dominating her features. Her smile had even vanished for a split second, before it automatically reformed itself.

The man squatted down to their level, "Listen, you two can't come and bother anyone dressed like me unless there's an emergency okay? I have a very important job, making sure that the village and the people in it are kept safe."

Naruko regained her mask, eyes squinting, and nodded. "Yea, Danzo-Sama told me that ANBU are very important to the village, and get some of the most important jobs. You must be very skilled Tora-San."

"Everyone in ANBU is skilled. It's kind of a requirement really." The man's tone was light and friendly now, a huge change from just a bit earlier. "You wanna know a secret?" He leaned in closer to them, flicking the book in Naruko's pocket. "This works a _lot_ better with people closer to your own age." Tora stood up, deciding that he couldn't delay his duties any longer. "Try the Academy training grounds. There are at least a few up and coming shinobi like yourselves there." With that, Tora vanished in a whirl of leaves, reappearing on a rooftop several blocks away. Under the mask, Gekkou Hayate smiled. _"I hope those kids do succeed."_

"I think that went well." Sai said, "The book was right after all."

"Was it?" Naruko tilted her head slightly, "Does that mean we made a friend?" She sounded hopeful, but quickly shook her head, "Wait, no we didn't. Don't we have to exchange names to be friends?"

Sai slumped a little bit. "Oh right. Well darn, but we got close I think. And Tora-San suggested the Academy training grounds. We'll just have to try that tomorrow. It's too late by now for anyone to still be there." It was almost six thirty in the evening, so all of the Academy students were probably home by now.

Naruko pouted lightly, "That means we don't get to train any tomorrow. We didn't make any friends…" She trailed off thoughtfully for a few moments before making a true grin at the plan she just came up with. "Sai-San, I have an idea. C'mon!"

* * *

An hour later Sai and Naruko came dragging a scarecrow into the Shimura compound.

"Danzo-Sama!" Naruko called out, "We made a friend, come see!"

In his office Danzo's heart lifted. Had they really made a friend? After just one day of searching? Maybe they weren't in as bad a shape as he had thought. He made his way to the front yard where Naruko's voice was coming from. Stepping through the front door, he was both highly amused and disappointed.

There, grinning widely was Naruko standing next to Sai who had a slightly more genuine smile on his face. Held up between them was a scarecrow, dressed up in a set of black pants and a black shirt. The scarecrows head had a very familiar face painted on it, likely Sai's work, depicting a certain mask wearing copycat.

"See Danzo-Sama? We made a friend. His name is Kakashi." Sai seemed inordinately pleased with their work.

Danzo smiled lightly at them and said, "Very clever. But what is the earliest lesson I taught you?"

"'Don't listen to what I say, listen to what I mean.'" They said in synchronization. He had taught them early on that they should always be alert for hidden messages in conversations. There could be prying ears anywhere, and the ability to receive and decipher subtle orders was important.

Naruko hadn't thought this would get Danzo to count their assignment as complete, but it sure had been fun.

Danzo didn't tell them, but he could see that the two were already becoming friends. If they had the awareness to figure that out, then their mission would be complete, but it would lessen the value of it if someone had to tell them that the two were friends. Danzo's play had worked beautifully. The two were clearly comfortable with each other, Naruko was smiling genuinely around Sai, and Sai was rediscovering his emotional capacity. Just the previous day he had been a doll, emotionless, but now he was showing joy, and he looked more relaxed than he had in months.

"Since you two haven't been able to make a friend yet, there is to be no training tonight or tomorrow. Do not disturb me further tonight." Danzo said as he made his way back to his office. Once he knew they couldn't see him, he shook his head with a wry grin. Naruko didn't do it often, but occasionally she would behave like a normal little girl and make some practical joke like now. And she always had that proud look on her face when she did it. He allowed her these moments, taking it as a sign that she was coming to enjoy living in Konoha more and more.

The two emotionally awkward kids stood there for several moments trying to figure out what to do. Usually they would be in the middle of physical training, but Danzo had just forbidden that.

"So what now?" Sai asked Naruko

"I don't know, why are you asking me?"

"Well, you came up with the idea to make Kakashi-Kun. Do you have any other ideas?"

Naruko's hands went to her hips and she tilted her head up, "Hmmm. Well we never introduced ourselves to each other. We can do that."

Sai nodded at her suggestion. "Sounds good. All Danzo-Sama told me about you was your name."

"We can do it in my room. C'mon." She grabbed the scarecrow they made and hauled it into her room, propping it in one of the corners. She sat cross legged on her bed while Sai took her desk chair.

"I'll start. I'm Uzumaki Naruko, I really like training and getting stronger, I dislike the way most of the villagers look at me, and my goal is to become the strongest shinobi Konoha's ever seen."

"Hello Naruko-San. My name is Sai, I like training and practicing my drawing ability, I dislike it when I run out of ink to draw with. I don't have a goal."

"It's nice to meet you Sai-San. I look forward to working with you further."

"You as well Naruko-San." Both were surprised to find that they really meant that, instead of it just being a socially expected response.

The two would spend the rest of that night just hanging out. They didn't talk much, but that was just fine by them. Sai drew many pictures, most featuring Naruko in some way, Naruko polished her wakizashi and re-read some of her books. At some point they broke out the shogi board. They were pretty evenly matched, trading off wins and losses regularly. Sai's strategy's were always by the book, while Naruko made incredibly unorthodox, yet still somehow effective plays.

* * *

The next day found the pair at the Konoha ninja academy's training grounds. It was open to all shinobi and shinobi in training, and was kept under Chuunin supervision. Showing the current on duty Chuunin the Ninja Training Permits they had received when they first began their journey into ninjutsu, they were allowed in with no hassle.

The academy training fields were huge in order to make sure it would be able to comfortably hold potentially an entire class years worth of occupants. There were several obstacle courses, dozens of target and training posts, and many designated sparring areas.

There were multiple students there taking advantage of the facilities offered to them. They were all more than likely clan-less, and thus without the resources of an established shinobi family. Two in particular caught their eye. There was a brown haired girl displaying amazing skill with projectile weaponry, hitting every target she could see, even the targets being moved by pulleys between trees. The other was a black haired boy diligently kicking a training log; there were already deep indentations where his leg was impacting the wood.

The two gave each other encouraging smiles before they split up, Naruko towards the boy and Sai towards the girl.

* * *

Naruko went to the log next to the black haired boy's. She patted it firmly a few times to make sure that it was deeply rooted and balanced. Finding it satisfactory, she took a few steps back and dropped into a fighting stance. Legs bent, arms held at chest level, hands loosely open so they could be quickly made into fists, palms, claws, or hand seals.

The black haired boy watched her curiously. Students at the academy shunned him because of his complete lack of talent, so it was strange for someone to train so close to him when there were so many other free training logs to choose from.

"Hah!" Naruko shouted as she kicked the log. This sent a vibration through it, creating a large dent and shaking the ground around her so strongly the boy next to her felt it.

"Whoa, what leg strength! That's amazing! How did you do it?" The boy was grinning in awe of Naruko's kick. His eyes were practically sparkling in amazement.

"What do you mean? I did it the way you're doing it. It was just a kick." Naruko was startled by the boys enthusiasm. She had picked this log as a means of burning time while she tried to figure out how to start talking to him. But the good news is that now she didn't have to. He was apparently more than happy to take care of that problem for her.

"But it was so powerful. I've been kicking this log for days, and with just one attack you've done more damage to yours than I have this whole time." He began looking down at the ground, clearly depressed.

Naruko began flailing on the inside. Why was he suddenly like this? Had she screwed up already!? Why was making friends so hard!? "Uhh, don't be sad, I've been training since I was four years old. The more you practice something, the better you are at it."

The black haired boy sighed, "I don't have any talent. I'm the weakest person in my class and it seems like no matter how much I train it doesn't make a difference."

Now here was territory that Naruko was familiar with. Training and the desire to get stronger. "Talent is overrated." He looked at her in shock. Someone as seemingly talented as her was telling him that it was overrated? "I was taught that people with talent are the most prone to complacency. Because they are so good at something at a young age they stop improving themselves, meaning that later on they find they are only average. When this happens they become upset that they no longer have the advantage, but it's too late for them to take true advantage of the gift they were born with. I have trained every day in the last three years to become stronger. Do you wanna know why?"

She retook her stance and with another shout her leg slammed into the thick log, sending splinters flying. "Because if someone trains ten times harder than those with talent, then they will surpass them!" Another kick, another shower of splinters, "What about a hundred times?!" Another kick, the log was beginning to fracture at the side opposite the point of contact, "Or a thousand?!" Another kick, the top half of the log was tilting precariously to the right. "In the shinobi world, _effort surpasses talent!_" One last kick cleaved the log in two, the top landing on the ground with a loud thud. She turned to him grinning, eyes nearly glowing as she spoke so passionately about her favorite activity. Of course, she left out the fact that she had been taught this lesson by Danzo precisely because he knew she was talented and he needed to make sure she didn't waste it. Putting so much effort on top of that talent was making her flourish rapidly.

"You say you have no talent. But that's okay, because clearly you were blessed with loads of effort. You said you come out here day after day to train right? And you probably don't even have anyone pushing you to do it. That's the kind of thing that can make you strong."

The boy had perked up immensely at her impassioned speech, fire now burning in his eyes. "Yes! I'll show everyone that I can be a powerful ninja even if I don't have any talent! Thank you for such inspiration my friend! My name is Rock Lee, and I will make sure to put more effort into my training so I can surpass those with talent!"

Naruko's eyes went wide. "F-friend? Really? You really mean that?"

Lee shot her a wide grin. "Of course! Anyone who is so passionate about their training is a friend to me. But what is the name of my new friend?"

She bowed lightly grinning back, "Uzumaki Naruko, very pleased to meet you…Lee-Kun."

After straightening back up she heard Sai call out to her. "Naruko-San, I have someone that wants to meet you."

* * *

***A little bit Earlier***

Sai approached the brown haired girl quietly, but made sure not to hide his presence. He knew better than to interrupt someone in the middle of training, lest he startle them and get injured for his troubles. After she had emptied all the shuriken and kunai in her hands he spoke up.

"You're very good at that Kunoichi-San. You must have practiced quite a bit."

She looked over and gave him a pleased smile. "Thanks, I did. I practice my weapons play every day." She held her hand out to him, "I'm Tenten. I haven't seen you here before, are you new to the academy?"

Sai shook the offered hand. This was going quite well, and he had only just started too. "I'm Sai, nice to meet you. But no, I don't attend the academy. I get private instruction, but I was told that I needed to get out more and interact with people near my own age."

Tenten made an excited noise, "You get private instruction? You must be really skilled then right? Wanna spar?"

"I cannot, my master told me that I am not allowed to train until I've made at least one friend."

Tenten narrowed her eyes in thought for a bit before snapping her fingers and smiling again. "Well, then don't think of it as training. Think of it as completing your mission. If you spar with me than _I'll_ be your friend."

Sai considered her offer for a moment before nodding in satisfaction. "Alright, that will work. What will the rules be?"

Tenten walked over to the targets she had been putting holes in and gathered her weaponry. "Practice weaponry and Taijutsu only, no Ninjutsu or Genjutsu. No crippling or lethal attacks and the first to three clean hits wins."

Just as she finished, there was a loud crashing noise behind her. Tenten jumped slightly in surprise, whirling around to see what happened. Next to a broken training log was a blonde girl who seemed to be having an impromptu pep rally for that boy Lee, who she knew trained here more often than even she did.

"Did that blonde girl just do _that_ to one of the training logs? I've never seen anyone under high Chuunin do that without a jutsu."

"Probably. That's Naruko-San. She's been training every day for the last three years, striving to be the strongest ninja Konoha's ever seen." He was a little bit proud of his partner for the foreseeable future. From what he could see, that boy she's talking to is growing more confident just by her presence.

"So cool! Naruko-Chan looks so strong, and she's so adorable! And she has a wakizashi too." Oh, there it goes. Sai is confused again, and it had been going so well too. He easily acknowledges the fact that Naruko is strong, but what is with that weird squee-ing noise Tenten is making.

Tenten had seen Naruko's whisker marks on her cheeks and the bright happiness in her big blue eyes as she animatedly talked to that boy Lee, and became immediately infatuated with the blonde. She was strong, even though she looked a year younger then Tenten, she strived to be a powerful shinobi like Tenten did, and she had an infectiously happy demeanor.

Before Sai knew what was going on Tenten had latched her hands onto his shoulders with a grip that threatened to leave bruises. She had a look so intense in her eyes that Sai was starting to become frightened. "You have to introduce me to her Sai. If you don't, then deals off." She practically growled out.

Somehow Sai managed to maintain his smile and he nodded his agreement. He had been planning to do so anyways if things had gone well. "Of course Tenten-San, I'd be happy to."

And just like that Tenten was back to her usual friendly self, and lightly pushed him in Naruko's direction, following a little behind and to the right of him.

A few yards away Sai called out to his partner. "Naruko-San, I have someone that wants to meet you."

Walking the last few yards and seeing he had her attention Sai continued, "This is Tenten-San. She was impressed by what you did to the training log and wanted to come meet you. Tenten-San, this is Naruko-San. She's here on the same task that I am."

Naruko squinted her eyes back into their usual position, unwittingly adding to Tenten's infatuation. "Hello Tenten-San, nice to meet you. I was impressed by your weapons accuracy earlier."

In a startling burst of speed, Tenten lunged at Naruko, nearly making the blonde draw her sword in defense, and wrapped her arms around the smaller girl, picking her up and rubbing their cheeks together. "Aww, you're so cute Naruko-Chan! I'm glad to meet you too. And you're so strong! You totally destroyed that log!"

Naruko was currently blushing furiously, in no way used to such affectionate physical contact. Through it all she maintained her expression, idly wondering why she had so much trouble making friends before. Then she remembered, there are no adults around here to mess things up other than the Chuunin supervisors, and the shinobi almost never bothered her.

"Ah, thanks Tenten-San. I trained really hard to become so strong."

Tenten pulled back from her nuzzling to glare at Naruko, "Hey Naruko-Chan, don't address me so unfamiliarly. Call me Ten-Chan from now on okay?"

Naruko tilted her head to the side, once again drawing a squee from the brunette, "Okay Ten-Chan."

Somehow scrambling out of Tenten's persistent hold, Naruko was able to introduce Lee to Sai. Lee and Tenten were already familiar with each other, being in the same class at the Academy.

"Sai-San, this is my new friend Lee-Kun. Lee-Kun, this is my partner Sai-San." Naruko felt a happy flutter at the phrase 'my new friend'.

Sai bowed to Lee. "You're work ethic is admirable Lee-San. I'm pleased to meet you."

"You as well Sai-Kun! I hope we can become good friends quickly!" Lee was certainly a boisterous guy, that was for sure.

"Naruko-Chan, why do you talk to Sai-Kun so formally? Aren't you friends?" Lee asked

Naruko's head tilted again, and again she was caught in a glomp from Tenten. "Eh? Are we friends Sai-San? How do we know?"

Sai shrugged at her. Tenten looked at them strangely, "What do you mean 'How do you know?' Haven't you ever had a friend before?

"No." The two emotionally challenged kids said in synchronization.

"Really? Never? But Sai-Kun seems so nice, and Naruko-Chan is amazing!" Lee was just as surprised as Tenten.

Sai and Naruko looked at each other for a moment before Naruko responded for both of them. "We don't go out into the village much. Usually Danzo-Sama keeps us occupied with our training, but recently he's told us that we need to be able to interact more with people. So he sent us out to make friends." Naruko grew a bright smile, "And now we have!"

Lee looked at them sadly, "So we won't see you very often then?"

Naruko shook her head "No, I think we'll see you pretty often. Danzo-Sama was pretty adamant that we make friends, so he'll be sure to let us out to see you."

"Well anyways, I can tell. Sai-Kun and Naruko-Chan are definitely friends. You know each other too well to not be." Tenten said confidently.

Eventually Tenten and Sai had their sparring match, which quickly drew Naruko and Lee in, becoming a tournament of sorts. They all had one match with each participant using the rules Tenten had told Sai earlier. Lee ended up losing every match due to his current lack of ability, but this only served to add fuel to the fire Naruko had started in him. Tenten defeated Lee with her weapons, keeping him from closing the distance, tied with Sai, whose physical conditioning and advanced lessons allowed him to keep up with her, and lost to Naruko who she just couldn't catch. And Naruko won every match because she was just so much faster than everyone else they couldn't catch her, her physical conditioning having specialized around her legs.

And so it was, that thanks to the advice of a certain ANBU member and the plans of a village elder, that two socially awkward and emotionally stunted kids managed to make their first friends.

* * *

**Well that was a chapter that fought me nearly every step of the way. I kept worrying whether I was keeping Naruko's character intact. I think I did, but what do you guys think? Also Tenten came outta nowhere! When I was writing I had only planned on Lee due to the sheer difference in personalities I'm trying to go for. His boisterous, friendly, and emotive behavior versus the emotionally troubled Naruko and Sai. I figured he'd be a good candidate for a friend and emotional revival. And I certainly wasn't expecting Tenten to go all 'Kawaii Glomptastic' mode on Naruko either, but it just happened!**

**And now I have three possibilities for Naruko pairings in mind. Tenten, Lee, and Sai. I know that there's at least one person who wanted to see her with Anko, but I don't think I can make it work. I might be able to work in a sisterly relationship later on, but nothing at the moment.**

**I know this chapter didn't have any action in it, I hope you weren't too disappointed in that. But the next chapter should have some in it.**

**Thanks everyone for the kind and supportive reviews, keep em coming as it helps motivate me. All feedback and constructive criticism is welcome.**


	4. The Mastermune

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Rurouni Kenshin or Chrono Cross. I am writing this purely to see reader reaction and for fun. I make no financial profit doing this.

Chapter 4 – The Mastermune

**Time Skip – Age 8**

Danzo stood in the middle of his training yard. All around him the earth was erupting in small showers of dirt, sand, and rock, potholes being torn into the packed ground in the wake of a blond, orange and purple blur. Naruko's leg work and strength had advanced to the point where she could tear apart the ground with just the force of her feet stomping into it and then lifting back up, without even having to apply chakra to strengthen them. And she could keep up her current pace indefinitely thanks to the healing factor the Kyuubi provided her. Her leg muscles would heal as fast as she could break them down through exertion.

Danzo had stopped sending shadow clones to oversee her training regimen several months ago, when Naruko began consistently destroying the clones during spars. Now the real Danzo trained her while his shadow clones handled his usual duties during the training sessions.

Smoothly shifting his katana without turning, he blocked a quick slash from behind. She was fast, agile and strong, but he was far more experienced then she was. Even with only one eye he had little trouble fighting her.

His left leg lifted, dodging a low kick that would have broken his knee. People's legs were roughly three times stronger than their arms because they were constantly used for walking. Naruko's denser musculature made that even more significant than normal. The Taijutsu style he had her taught specialized in leg attacks. She could still throw a powerful and well timed punch, but her hands would be free to hold her wakizashi or prepare hand seals.

"**Futon: Shinkugyoku! (Vacuum Sphere)**" a volley of air bullets streaked at him from the right, directed at his legs, finally forcing him to move. He jumped over the deadly bullets as they tore into the ground he had just been standing on. While he was in midair, Naruko launched a second volley from directly under him. Before they could perforate his body, he took a breath and released it in a powerful stream from his mouth, propelling himself away from harm and back to the ground where he landed in a crouch, immediately blocking another swipe from Naruko's blade before having to perform a **Kawarimi (Substitution)** when she continued with the momentum of the swing, turning into a spinning top of death and doom as she whirled around him, creating a small trench. The log he had replaced himself with fell to the ground in a large pile of wood chunks and splinters.

He had been pleasantly surprised to find that Naruko had a strong affinity for wind, as well as a minor affinity to water. When he had given her a piece of chakra paper, it had violently shredded itself and become damp. This meant he could teach her some of his most deadly jutsu, him having a wind affinity as well.

Having lost track of Danzo, Naruko finally came to a stop. Ones senses and perceptions were weaker when they were moving, so her best chance to locate her opponent was to slow down. She looked largely the same as a year ago, a few inches taller and a bit more bulk to her arms and legs, and her hair had been grown out. It was now in a high ponytail at the back of her head and fell down to mid back, with the front parted to either side of her face coming down to her chin. The last change was that she exchanged her jeans for a sturdier set of dark purple shinobi pants.

Naruko put her fingers into a cross shaped seal, summoning two shadow clones. Danzo had taught her the **Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clone)** in response to her complete inability to perform the basic Bunshin. The clones formed up behind her in a triangle formation, covering her blind spots, wakizashi held in reverse in front of them. After a few moments of nothing, Naruko decided to try forcing Danzo out of hiding.

Forming the necessary seals the three announced, "**Futon: Shinkugyoku!**" Sending large quantities of air bullets tearing into the foliage, trees, and bushes surrounding her. She felt a little bit bad about devastating the trees, but Danzo had shown her that he was capable of fixing them himself after swearing her to secrecy.

A **Shinkujin (Vacuum Blade)** enhanced shuriken launched out of the trees directly at the original Naruko, who turned back into a blur of chaos, kicking up the ground in her wake. Her two clones were unable to react fast enough to the danger and were cut down, poofing out of existence.

Danzo jumped high into the air above the clearing, preparing another jutsu. "**Futon: Shinkuha! (Vacuum Wave)**" Taking a deep breath, he moved his head in a wide sweep releasing a blade of wind that descended upon the clearing. As soon as he let the attack go, he turned his head and once again a stream of wind erupted from his mouth, accelerating his descent. Naruko was forced to stop her movement or be bisected by the blade of wind. Having stopped she was now vulnerable to attack, and Danzo's wind stream had carried him just above the blonde. Kunai in hand he landed nearly on top of her, the blade coming to a stop at her neck.

"Very good Naruko-Chan, you're progress is beyond my original expectations."

Naruko preened a little, "Thank you Danzo-Sama. But don't get too comfortable with your victory. One day I'll beat you." She grinned at the one eyed man. Ever since the real Danzo had begun training her, the spars had gotten a lot more fun. She had yet to defeat him, but she had landed several good hits, and she was steadily getting stronger.

"Well I should hope so; otherwise all the effort I've put into your training will have been an exercise in futility. Now," he turned and began walking away, "Training is over for the day. I have a meeting with Hokage-Sama."

Naruko waved goodbye energetically. "Tell Hokage-Sama I say hi!" She really had become more and more happy ever since meeting Sai, Lee and Tenten. Her mask was becoming more genuine as time went on, although it was still a fake when she wasn't with Danzo or her friends, with only a few exceptions.

With her training for the day done she wandered into the village contemplating the recurring dreams she had been having for the last four years. They were becoming increasingly clearer and more detailed. Every time she had the dream she reached for that double bladed staff, but it would always float just little bit out of her reach, teasing her. Whatever it was she _wanted it_. And it wanted to be found. She could feel it.

For the last few weeks she had been devoting a portion of her free time to trying to figure out what it is. Tenten had become her partner in this endeavor, loving all things weaponry. She had been able to identify the type of weapon it was from Naruko's description and showing her several pictures for comparison. "It's called a Swallow," Tenten told her, "Which was first created by fishermen for self defense, and could also function as a paddle if necessary. The blades traditionally look like the wings of their namesake, but from the sounds of it, the one in your dream is different."

Sai found her as was wandering around without any particular destination. She was just trying to follow that feeling in her gut telling her that the weapon of her dreams wanted her to find it.

"Hey Naruko-Chan, what're you doing?"

Her head turned to him, grinning at the sight of her first friend. "Hey Sai-Kun, I'm just following my instincts, trying to find the weapon of my dreams." She turned back to the dirt road in front of them, heading out to the shinobi training grounds. "How did you're lessons go?"

"Danzo-Sama says that I'm getting better with my decision making abilities. He thinks that I'll be ready for the final exam soon and then I can start going on missions." Like Naruko, Sai's expression was becoming more natural. Since that assignment a year ago, his resolve and motivation had strengthened considerably. He would take on the missions of Root to protect Konoha. He would protect Konoha because it held his friends.

"Ooh, congratulations. I know you'll blow it outta the water." She puffed up a little, "You're _my_ partner after all." All of their academic lessons and half of their physical training sessions were held together.

"I'm kinda envious though. You're gonna get sent on missions without me while I'm stuck in the Academy. You won't even have to go through those D-ranks Danzo-Sama told us about!" At the age of ten, Naruko would be enrolled into the Academy so she could be evaluated and placed with a Genin team. Then she could start taking missions that would put her directly in the attention of the clients and villages around the country.

She looked at him from the corner of her eye. "You'll be careful won't you?" Not that she'd ever say it aloud, but she feared losing her friends and Danzo-Sama more than anything else.

Sai smiled at her reassuringly. "I'm the partner of Naruko the Tenjin. I don't have to be careful." He was of course joking. He would definitely be careful.

"That title hasn't spread yet Sai." Danzo had picked it out for her when she showed her aptitude with a wakizashi, defeating even experienced members of his Root with it.

"But it will." He replied. There were plans in place to seed that title in places where she was, or had been, particularly visible. It was a bit of a gamble, drawing that kind of attention to her, but she was already at least high Chuunin material, and she wouldn't be taking solo missions until a good while after she graduated from the Academy.

They were now walking into training ground 44. Technically they weren't supposed to be there, as it was restricted to Chuunin ranked shinobi, but they ignored that at the moment because there didn't seem to be anyone present.

They walked directly up to the chain linked fence, Sai making no comment about their presence there, trusting in Naruko's instincts.

"Hmm. Well this is a problem." She declared in a bright voice. "My gut is telling me to go in there, but the signs say 'Do Not Enter Without Authorization'."

"Kid, your gut is messed up if it's telling you to go in there." A woman's voice spoke up behind them. "That," she pointed at the fenced off forest, "Is the Forest of Death. It's too dangerous for kiddies like you."

The woman behind them had purple hair tied up in a pineapple style ponytail, a tan trench coat over a mesh body suit and a dark tan skirt. On her legs were a set of greaves and shinobi sandals, and on her forehead was a Konoha Hitai-ate. "What are you two even doing here? This place is restricted to Chuunin ranked shinobi and up." She asked with a stern glare.

"Hello Kunoichi-San, we were following my gut and it brought us here. It's telling me that there's something in there that I have to find."

"Hah, well come back when you're a Chuunin and you can play around in there all you like kiddo. Now get out of here before I have to drag you away."

"I'm going to get in there, one way or another, Kunoichi-San"

"Ugh, fine. I guess we do this the noisy way." The woman approached the two kids and picked them up one under each arm, neither resisting, and proceeded to carry them out of the training field. Despite what Naruko just said, she hadn't meant right this second. She would go to Danzo and see if he could get her permission. The woman looked strangely at the kids she was holding. "…Okaaaaay, maybe not so noisy. You're just too lazy to walk aren't you!?" she accused them. "And just what the hell are you made of girl!? I feel like I'm carrying a fucking sack of lead bars!"

People told her she was heavy fairly often, a side effect of her body tissues being so much denser than normal. So she had created her own response to it. "Are you calling me fat?!" It was amusing seeing males try to talk their way out of the conversation at that point.

"Yup." Didn't work quite the same on females. "By the way, don't call me 'Kunoichi-San', it makes me feel old. My name is Anko."

"Okay Anko-San." They said in unison, vaguely creeping her out.

"No! No 'San', just 'Anko'."

"Okay Anko." They said in unison again, with the exact same smile on their faces. They loved doing this to people. They always had such funny reactions.

"That's so _creepy_, cut it out! Like some children out of one of those crappy horror movies...Maybe I should bring you in to T&I and make you talk to the prisoners." She sounded more amused than creeped out though.

Finally reaching the end of the designated training ground Anko set them down. "Now go away! Shoo!"

"Bye Anko." They said, once again in unison, this time adding a synchronized wave goodbye.

"Argh! Go away!" This time she summoned some snakes which chased them away. "So creepy…" she said to herself with a wide grin. "The next generation is looking pretty fun."

* * *

"So what now Naruko-Chan?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"Well, we were following your gut instinct."

She put her hands on her hips and looked towards the sky. "Hmm, well we need to get into that forest, so let's go find Danzo-Sama. His meeting should be pretty close to over by now."

The two made their way over to the Hokage Tower. Walking up to the receptionist, they asked if Danzo's meeting with the Hokage was finished.

The receptionist recognized the two as apprentices to Danzo, so didn't bother asking for identification. Half the time Sai was with Danzo during the meetings, and on occasion Danzo would bring Naruko with him as well.

"Their meeting should be wrapping up in just a few minutes. You can wait over there." She gestured at the comfy looking waiting chairs.

Thanking the receptionist they settled in to wait for Danzo, Sai taking out a big blank paper pad and beginning to draw, Naruko content just to enjoy Sai's quiet presence. They were only waiting for two minutes before the door to the Hokage's office opened, revealing Danzo and the Hokage himself.

"Naruko-Chan, Sai-Kun, what are you two doing here?" Sarutobi asked them.

"Good evening Hokage-Sama. I have a request for Danzo-Sama that I didn't want to wait to make. Actually, you might want to hear it as well. It shouldn't take long."

"I suppose I have time for a quick meeting. Do you Danzo?"

Danzo nodded in agreement. These two wouldn't have come to find him like this if they didn't think it important.

Entering the office and closing the door, Naruko began explaining her request. "Both of you are aware of the dreams I've been having for the last four years. Well for a while now I've been feeling something, like my dream is telling me to find it. Well Sai and I followed that feeling and we ended up at training ground 44, but we couldn't go any further because of the fence. What I want, is to go in there so I can find whatever my gut is telling me to find."

"The Forest of Death is dangerous Naruko-Chan. Is whatever this is worth it?" Sarutobi knew the girl was powerful, but he wasn't entirely convinced that this feeling of hers was real.

Naruko's eyes were sharp when she answered. "Yes. This feeling has been growing for the last year, slowly, but surely. And now that I can finally follow it, I want to see where it takes me."

"Well Danzo, she's you're apprentice. What do you think?"

Danzo considered the request for a moment. Deciding it couldn't hurt to take a day off of physical training if this 'feeling' of hers could be settled; he'd take them into the forest himself tomorrow. Besides, Naruko had been doing extremely well with her progress, one day could be spared.

"I suppose that can be arranged. It could be a good experience for them, and they have the necessary skill to survive in there, even without supervision. I'll take them myself tomorrow afternoon if that's alright Hokage-Sama."

Sarutobi's eyes widened in surprise. "Take them yourself? I can assign a team to escort them through for the day."

"To be honest, Naruko-Chan has been talking about these feelings and dreams for so long that I want to see what's going on for myself."

The Hokage gave a bark of laughter. "Hah! Now that you say that, I am curious as well. Unfortunately for me, I cannot leave the office for the day tomorrow. Very well Danzo, you can take you're apprentices into the forest. But I would suggest bringing Anko-Chan with you. There's no one who knows the forest better than her, and she might be able to expedite the trip."

Danzo nodded, "Yes, good idea Hokage-Sama. It couldn't hurt."

Naruko smiled brightly, "Thank you Danzo-Sama, Hokage-Sama. Tomorrow should be very interesting."

"Since business has been settled, Naruko-Chan, Konohamaru has been asking after you. He wants to know when you're coming to visit him next." It lifted Sarutobi's heart, just how well his grandson took to Naruko. Just remembering their meeting could put a smile on his face.

* * *

*****Flashback – Naruko age 7, Konohamaru age 4*****

_Konohamaru was spending the day with his grandfather, holed up in the Hokage's office. His usual caretakers had gotten sick, so Sarutobi had decided to make it a take your kid to work day. He could do that; he was the Hokage after all._

_Unfortunately for Sarutobi, a four year old was not conducive to a productive environment, and he was getting very cranky being cooped up inside._

_Just as he was about to tear the last of the hair from his balding scalp, his unexpected savior arrived with his old friend Danzo._

_Konohamaru, who had been banging a toy sword against any and all surfaces he could reach, nearly breaking several very valuable pieces of art, took one look at Naruko and immediately gravitated toward her._

_Danzo had brought Naruko along to sit in on his meeting with the Hokage to help her learn more about village activity, both on the surface, and hidden from prying eyes and ears. But this would quickly turn into Naruko babysitting the Hokage's grandson time._

_Konohamaru latched onto her right arm and persistently tugged the blonde around the office, making her play games, give him piggy back rides, and generally occupying 110% of her attention, making a whining noise whenever she even glanced over at the two adults._

_Danzo had let it go because it was obvious nothing would be accomplished with the boy there otherwise. It was a decision of getting some work done without Naruko benefiting as he'd intended, or make everyone miserable with Konohamaru's tantrums. Also Sarutobi had promised that he'd owe him big time if he let Naruko keep Konohamaru occupied._

_Naruko made no complaint, perfectly happy to let Konohamaru pull her around and play his games._

_By the time Danzo had finished his meeting with the Hokage the boy had fallen asleep next to Naruko on one of the couches in the Hokage's office with a death grip on her arm. Naruko sat there smiling, with no signs of the exhaustion most would expect from one having to deal with a four year old for several hours._

*****End Flashback*****

* * *

Naruko quickly became Konohamaru's favorite babysitter, as well as his friends Udon and Moegi. They all declared her their big sis, Naruko-Nee. Apparently kids had a thing for the blonde, probably had to do with the constant smile they never knew had been fake, the always cheerful tone of voice, the utter inability to exhaust her with their games and the fact that she never got bored of the games they made her play. And of course the fact that she was an awesome ninja in training helped. Playing 'Ninja' was always more fun when there were actual ninjas to participate.

"Daww, does Ko-Chan miss his Naruko-Nee? Well good, then I have something to tease him with this weekend. And if all goes the way I think it will tomorrow, I'll have something brand new and completely awesome to show off."

"Since the matter is settled, there are still things to do today. Good evening Hokage-Sama." Danzo lightly bowed and left to continue whatever work he had left for the day. Sai and Naruko mimicking him and following behind before splitting up for the night.

* * *

Naruko was dreaming again. There was that swallow, floating right in front of her, an unseen light shining upon it. It was doing something new happened this time. It began floating around her, like it was examining her, blades spinning slowly. It drew closer, closer than it had ever been to her before. Taking the chance, half expecting her hand to just pass right through it, she reached out and grabbed at the handle. To her delight, her right hand closed around warm brown leather sending a tingling through her entire arm. Then she heard what sounded like two voices overlapping.

_Come get us._

* * *

"Hello again Anko." Sai and Naruko greeted the older woman.

"Hello again creepy kids from yesterday." Said Anko grinning widely.

Danzo, Sai, Naruko and Anko were now outside of the Forest of Death preparing to enter.

"So you weren't kidding when you said you'd get in. Do you even know what's in there?"

Naruko grinned, "The weapon of my dreams!"

Confusion spread across Anko's face. "Eh? Weapon of your dreams? The hell are you talking about?"

"She can tell you about it on the way." Danzo interrupted, "I'd like to get started Anko."

"Alright, alright, keep your bandages on ya old coot. So we're just following the fat kid around?" She said, gesturing at Naruko who continued to smile benignly.

"That's right. You're role is to act as an adviser and expert of the forest."

"Alright, I'm ready when you are." She shrugged. It was all the same to her, she was just getting paid more to do what she had already planned to do. Hang out in the Forest of Death.

Hopping over the fence, Naruko took point and began tree hopping in the direction her gut was telling her to go. As Danzo said, Naruko told Anko about her dreams and her gut feeling. She told Naruko that she was nuts, but didn't complain.

This continued for two hours, the group crossing clear to the other side of the forest in as much of a straight line as the trees would allow, Anko occasionally directing them around a nest or den of particularly nasty or annoying creatures. Several times they encountered hostile wildlife, but it was nothing the group couldn't handle.

In the middle of a leap between two trees, Naruko suddenly flailed in midair, the feeling she had been following suddenly behind her, before catching herself on the tree she had jumped towards. Everyone came to a stop and looked at her.

"We're here, I mean, I just passed where my gut has been leading me, down there." She pointed to an ordinary patch of grass and dirt. Anko gave her a skeptical look, but jumped down with them anyways.

"I don't know what you're thinking kiddo, but there's nothing in this section of the forest but giant tigers and poisonous flowers."

"No, it's here, it's close, I can feel it! It's underground!"

"Hmm, well does anyone have any Doton techniques that would help here?"

"Don't need any. I'm a one girl army when I need to be." Naruko said, forming the **Kage Bunshin** hand seal, creating nine clones. The clones and the original all pulled out a kunai, and blurred into action, tearing apart the ground.

While Anko stood dumbfounded at the sight in front of her, Sai sat down on a nearby log and began sketching some of what he'd seen in the forest. Danzo stood patiently watching his apprentice's work.

Twenty minutes later the blonde power plant was still going in a thirty foot deep, ten foot wide pit. "She's still going! Like some fucking caffeinated lightning bolt with a grudge against the earth!" Anko had not moved one step since the spectacle started.

Two minutes later there was a loud crashing noise along with a startled yelp from Naruko. The three watching her dig had just seen the blonde vanish into a hole in the forty foot deep pit she had dug, her clones dismissing themselves shortly after.

The three jumped down into the pit, but before they reached the recently made hole Naruko fell in, there was a loud, triumphant, echoing yell.

"AHA! It's here! I knew it! You're mine now buster! Ten-Chan is going to totally _freak_ when I show you to her! Come on down guys, you have to see it, it's awesome!"

Sai was the first down, followed by Danzo, then Anko. They landed after a drop of about fifteen feet into an underground cave lined with glowing green moss. Naruko was standing at the edge of a small pond, in the middle of which is an island. On that island is a pedestal, covered in vines holding the bladed staff Naruko had been dreaming of for the last four years. It looked exactly the way it did in her dreams, only now it seemed to be lightly pulsing with energy.

Sai quickly turned to a fresh page and sketched the scene while he had the chance as Naruko began water walking over to it. There was no longer any hurry in her steps. She wanted to savor the moment.

Anko was speechless. Who knew that something like _this_ had been hidden fifty feet underneath the Forest of Death? And this kid had just found it because of a _feeling_. Now Anko was an experienced shinobi, who knew the value of a gut feeling. But this was pushing it wasn't it?

Danzo watched Naruko carefully. She had been dreaming about this weapon for four years, it had to be something incredibly special.

* * *

Naruko was now in front of the pedestal, the weapon laid horizontally upon it. She slowly walked around it, taking in the sight. Coming full circle, she lifted her right hand and placed it on the handle. It felt the same as her dream, the brown leather wrappings warm to the touch and a tingle in her arm. With a steady pull she lifted it from its resting place. It was lighter than she thought it would be.

From the shore of the pond, Danzo and the others saw a bright white outlining erupt from Naruko's figure.

* * *

Naruko suddenly found herself in what seemed to be a sewer. She blinked and looked to her left. A wall lined with rusty dripping pipes. She blinked again and looked to her right. Another wall with rusty dripping pipes. Another blink and she turned her head to face in front of her again. "…What?" She said in a dull deadpan voice.

"Hello Naru-Chan. It's nice to finally meet you face to face." The voice of a young man came from behind her. It sounded both confident and powerful.

She whirled around, hand instinctively settling on the handle of her wakizashi. Now in front of her was what appeared to be two elves, or imps. They were short, about as tall as her waist. Both had tan skin, pointed ears and green eyes. The one on the left was wearing a white robe with a green collar; the one on the right had a white robe with a blue collar. Both were currently floating in the air at face height and were observing her intently.

The green collared being spoke, identifying itself as the source of the voice. "I am called Masa the Strong." Then the blue collared imp spoke, "And I am called Mune the Smart, his younger brother." He said tilting his head towards Masa. Mune's voice was lighter, but no less powerful.

Straightening up with her mask firmly in place and hand still on her swords hilt, Naruko replied, "Hello Masa-San, Mune-San. It's nice to meet you face to face as well…Do I know you?"

Masa laughed a little. "Well I certainly hope so. You've been dreaming about us for the last four years."

Naruko's eyes opened. Now that he said that, these were the voices in her dream the previous night. They just weren't overlapping right now.

"Ah, so you're two are the ones responsible for taunting me half my life. So what do you want?...And where did the staff go!?" Naruko looked around wildly, having just noticed the distinct lack of her dream weapons presence.

Masa gave her a friendly smile, "Well, I admit, I did tease you some, but I was getting bored waiting for you to get strong enough to come get us. As for what we want, well, it's not so much what _we_ want as what _you_ want. For the first four years of your life your dreams had cried out for aid. We heard these cries, but did not come to your dreams because we would be unable to do anything. You would be unable to come to us, and we could not come to you. Then that man Danzo took you under his wing, and your resources and abilities started growing, so we started entering your dreams to get a closer look at the girl who so desperately wanted help. If you continued to improve and showed behavior we found agreeable, then we would call you to us. For the first three years we started to lose interest in you. You're body was strong, but your mind was weak. Your motivations for getting stronger were questionable. We did not approve of you then. But the next year, when you met those boys Sai and Lee, and that girl Tenten, your mind strengthened greatly, and your motivations became agreeable. We have now deemed you worthy of our aid. And that 'staff' is called the Mastermune. It is the weapon in which both Mune and I reside."

"So why me? There are millions of kids just like me who suffered and dreamed of a better life."

It was Mune who answered this time. "A couple reasons. One, proximity. You were the closest and most suffering person within our range of sensing. And two, we think that you are destined for great things, and we want to see and be a part of that."

Naruko nodded in understanding. "Okay, makes sense to me." Danzo had told her much the same thing. That he believed she could be the strongest shinobi Konoha's ever seen. Apparently more than just he believed that. "Now, one last question…_Where are we?_"

Both of the imps laughed. "You have a surprisingly dirty mind Naru-Chan." Said Mune, "This is your mindscape."

Naruko's right eye eyebrow rose. "My mindscape is a sewer? I've heard the phrase 'Mind in the Gutter', but this is ridiculous." She shrugged, "Oh well, guess I'm destined to be a pervert."

"Before we let you leave," Mune said while they floated past her, down the tunnels. "There's something you must see."

Naruko wordlessly followed after them, idly hoping that they would teach her to float like that. Eventually they came upon a massive cage with a giant scroll with the kanji for 'Seal' covering the lock.

"Uhh, Mune-Kun, what is this?"

He didn't answer her, in favor of calling out towards the cage. "Kurama, we know you're there. Come out and say hello to your host."

There was an echoing, growling laughter coming from behind the bars now, quickly followed by the arrival of a pair of massive red glowing eyes and a very infamous being.

Naruko's eyes were now wide open and her jaw threatening to fall off her head. She was shaking at the sight of the nine tailed fox.

"W-w-w-what is this!? Some sort of trick!?" Naruko didn't want to believe her eyes, but there it was. The Kyuubi no Yoko, behind bars in her mindscape. A sick feeling of realization was bubbling up in her gut. She had learned about Jinchuuriki from Danzo-Sama. Human beings who had one of the tailed demons, sentient calamities, sealed within them.

She wasn't stupid. Now all the pieces were falling into place. Her birthday, her unnatural healing rate and body density, the scorn from the village. It all made sense now. The Yondaime Hokage had sealed the Kyuubi within her.

"_**I see my host has realized just what she is. Long time no see Masa, Mune."**_

"She has." Mune said softly, looking at the shaken girl.

Masa laid a hand on her shoulder, getting her attention, eyes begging him to tell her this wasn't real. "Don't worry Naru-Chan. This doesn't change anything. You're still the same girl, with the same goal. Danzo already knows about this, and will be able to tell you everything you need to know. The Kyuubi cannot harm you as long as that seal is in place." He pointed at the scroll. "We'll send you back to your body now, so you can ask your questions."

Naruko shakily nodded, managing to don her mask. "S-see ya later Masa-Kun, Mune-Kun." And then she was gone from her mindscape.

"_**She's the best host I've ever had. The first two always kept me chained up, completely unable to do anything. This one is strong, and able to take advantage of the benefits of being **_**my **_**container."**_

"And she will be even stronger with our aid. She is going to do great things." Masa looked sternly at the Kyuubi. "I hope you will not hinder her."

"_**Heh, I have no reason to. It is her father and the Uchiha who enslaved me that I hate. And with the way she is growing, some day I will be able to see her kill that man. He will come for her some day, but with the three of us helping her, he won't stand a chance."**_

"I'm surprised Kurama. You seem to have utterly hated your previous hosts, but not this one. Why?"

"_**It's simple. I hated them because they blinded and deafened me to the world. A being like me does not take well to being completely isolated from the natural world. If they hadn't done that, than I wouldn't have particularly cared about being sealed, other than hating the person who did the sealing anyways. Once they died I would be free again, to an immortal, time is immaterial. When the girl dies I will be free again. A single lifetime is the blink of the eye to me."**_

* * *

While all of that was happening in Naruko's mindscape, only a few seconds passed for Danzo and the others.

Naruko, gripping the Mastermune firmly turned to them. The look on her face worried Danzo, it was looking very strained.

Naruko had questions for her dear mentor, and she would not wait to get them answered.

"_I have the fucking Kyuubi sealed in me!?_"

Danzo's lone eye widened and one thought dominated his mind. "_Well shit._"

* * *

**And that's chapter four. Thanks for all the reviews guys, I'm glad you all seem to be liking it so far. I didn't think that whole ANBU scene would be so popular, but I'm happy it was. I originally intended for this to be darker than it's turning out, but it's working just fine for me.**

**There will be two more time skips before we reach the beginning of the series, but it shouldn't be too far off now. I've got some ideas I'm really excited to put into play.**

**So let me know what you think, feedback, constructive criticism, and questions are all welcome.**


	5. How Not to be Emo

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Rurouni Kenshin or Chrono Cross. I am writing this purely to see reader reaction and for fun. I make no financial profit doing this.

Chapter 5 – How not to be Emo

"_I have the fucking Kyuubi sealed inside me!?"_

For the first time in four and a half years, Naruko's face was expressing anger and fear. Danzo had no idea how, but apparently Naruko had just learned one of the closest guarded secrets of the village. He had wanted to wait until after she had officially become a shinobi to tell her everything. About the Kyuubi and who her parents were. By then she would be a legal adult and could claim her inheritances and access some of the more restricted information on her parents, hopefully distracting her at least a little bit from the shock.

Danzo was careful to keep his face expressionless. "How did you find out?"

Naruko lifted the Mastermune in front of her, blades to either side. "The Mastermune told me…When were _you_ going to tell me?"

Anko now had a serious look on her face. This would decide Naruko's perception of the village, and could seriously threaten national stability. Every Konoha shinobi that reached at least the rank of Tokubetsu Jounin and whose loyalty was beyond a shadow of a doubt, were informed of her status as a Jinchuuriki. If she turned on the village, either running away or trying to massacre the populace, things would get very bad, very quickly. There would be no way to keep a lid on that information from the other Hidden Villages.

Sai had a serious expression as well. Naruko was the Jinchuuriki to the Nine Tails? It certainly explained several things about her. The healing and superior body in particular. And judging from Naruko's question, Danzo had known.

"I was waiting until you had become a legal adult Naruko-Chan." Danzo said. "By then you would have certain rights that would hopefully soften the blow." Danzo moved to the shore of the underground pond and sat down cross legged. "But since you have already learned of the Kyuubi, I will tell you everything now. Tokubetsu Jounin Mitarashi, I must ask you to take my apprentice Sai and go inform Hokage-Sama of what's happened." Everyone there understood that Danzo was about to tell Naruko some things that not just anyone could overhear, including Anko and Sai.

Anko snapped off a quick salute, knowing better than to get mouthy in this situation, and she and Sai quickly exited through the hole they dropped in from, Sai sending a worried glance at Naruko just before he was out.

Naruko, with a deeply upset expression walked across the water, unhitching her wakizashi from her hip, to sit cross legged across from Danzo. She put the Mastermune across her lap with her right hand resting on the handle and leaned the wakizashi in front of her against her left shoulder, the hilt in the air and her arm wrapped loosely around it. The weapons were a comforting presence she needed right now.

"You were born on the night of the Kyuubi's attack. It came without warning, the demon appearing inside the village walls somehow. It was laying waste to everything around it, slaughtering even our best shinobi easily. The reason the attack was able to take place at all was because the Kyuubi's current Jinchuuriki had entered into a very dangerous state of condition. She was pregnant, and had just gone into labor, resulting in a severe weakening of the seal restraining the fox. The Yondaime was present to reinforce the seal during and after the birthing process. We were never able to definitively figure out why he had been unable to do it, but interference from a third party is suspected." Danzo's eyes had glazed over, remembering the details of that night eight years ago.

Naruko was beginning to get another sickening feeling of realization in her stomach, but she let Danzo continue uninterrupted.

"We could not stop the Kyuubi. Fortunately the Yondaime was able to use his Space Time ninjutsu to send the Kyuubi out of the village, and minimize collateral damage. The only way to stop the Kyuubi was to seal it again, but the previous Jinchuuriki was in no shape to imprison the demon again. She did not survive the night. So the Yondaime took the child she had just given birth to, you, to seal the demon away."

Naruko's hand tightened around the Mastermune, and it gave her a reassuring pulse in response. Her mother had been the previous Jinchuuriki? Who was she? What did she look like? Was she a nice person? _Why hadn't the Yondaime saved her!?_ A cold feeling of hate revealed itself to her. This was all the Yondaime's fault. He didn't save her mom. He condemned her to the hell of a life full of scorn, hatred and isolation.

Red chakra began to bleed out from Naruko. Just as it started to envelope her a burst of white energy lashed out of the Mastermune and subdued the demonic energy. Danzo, who had tensed at the first sight of the Kyuubi's chakra, was now staring very intently at the Mastermune. Naruko hadn't noticed any of this, absorbed in her own thoughts.

"What was her name?" The question was almost whispered.

"Uzumaki Kushina. Also known as the Red Hot Blooded Habanero, for her red hair and incredible temper. The Uzumaki and the Senju are distantly related by blood. The traces of the Mokuton bloodline in Uzumaki blood helps to suppress the bijuu within you, making the Uzumaki desirable Jinchuuriki candidates."

Danzo took a breath to steel himself for the next part. "That man, the Yondaime… He was your mothers husband, and _your_ father."

A strangled gasp escaped from Naruko's lips. The Yondaime Hokage, the hero of the Third Shinobi World War, Konoha's Yellow Flash, the man who made her into a Jinchuuriki, was her father!? Her newfound hate for the man grew even more. Her entire life she had fantasized about what having a family would be like. A mother that would love her, and a father that would protect her. Her fantasy had just been completely shat on. Her father's very first act as a father was to betray his daughter. From a professional standpoint as a prospective shinobi she respected and even agreed with his decision. But from an emotional and personal standpoint, she had never hated anything or anyone more in her life.

The red chakra again boiled out from her Tenketsu, at an even quicker and more violent rate than before. And the Mastermune once again quashed it with that unknown white energy, before it could do any damage.

Danzo was now very curious about that weapon. It apparently had the ability to combat demonic energies. He was now certain that this weapon would be an invaluable asset to Naruko. Despite the early revelation of the Kyuubi to Naruko, this venture has produced some very positive results.

"May I be alone for awhile Danzo-Sama?" Her voice was quiet and tight. "I would like to meditate and collect my thoughts."

Danzo considered her for several moments before he nodded wordlessly and rose, turning and walking towards the hole in the ceiling. He would allow her to stay here to come to terms with her new information. He would send a team of his Root to monitor her to make sure she didn't get caught off guard by the dangers of the forest, or try to abandon the village.

When Danzo had left the cave, Naruko stood, uncoiling from her seated position. The Mastermune and wakizashi propped on her shoulders she went back to the island in the middle of the pond. She hopped on top of the pedestal, easily fitting on the table like slab of stone that had comfortably fit the seven foot long bladed staff. She assumed the same position she had been in with Danzo, Mastermune across her lap and wakizashi on her left shoulder, and closed her eyes.

A few moments later the Mastermune pulsed, and Naruko found herself back in her mindscape.

* * *

"Good you're here." Masa's voice rang out as soon as she arrived, not giving her a chance to start ranting. "We can get started on teaching you the abilities of the Mastermune and how to wield it.

"I'm a little bit preoccupied Masa-Kun. I don't think I have it in me right now to train." She sounded a little angry.

"_Nonsense!_ When you are preoccupied as you are right now, the _best_ thing to do is train! When you feel you have been irredeemably betrayed, return to the one thing that cannot betray you; your training!" Masa's voice was passionate in his declarations, his eyes actually glowing and a fist was clenched in front of him.

"While I may not share my brother's great zeal in this, he is not wrong." Mune said. "I'm sure you've noticed on your own that during training the mind becomes clearer, more focused. At this moment, your emotions are in a very volatile state. No sound decisions can be made in this condition."

Naruko's mindscape changed all around them. The three were now on a warm beach with a bright, clear blue ocean. It was very sunny, with a pleasant breeze and big white, fluffy clouds.

For a few moments Masa and Mune let Naruko observe the new setting. In spite of everything, and as much as she struggled against it, she found herself calming slightly.

The Mastermune appeared floating before Naruko and she instinctively grabbed it. "Masa will teach you how to wield the Mastermune here. Once your emotional state has settled I will begin teaching you about our more…flashy…techniques." With that Mune disappeared, leaving Naruko alone with Masa.

Masa gave her an excited grin that promised her lots of pain and him lots of amusement. "Now, defend yourself!" The deceptively weak looking imp dashed at her, a small sword materializing in his hand, and unleashed a storm of very fast attacks. Naruko was barely able to react in time to defend.

"Wha- Hey!" Both hands on the Mastermune, she was able to clumsily twist the staff to deflect the slashes. She managed to swing the lower blade, threatening to cut off Masa's legs making him back off a bit. That didn't provide much of a reprieve as he quickly jumped back into the fray, sword flashing with a trail of silver.

"The hell are you doing Masa!?"

"I will pound this anger out of you and teach you how to wield the Mastermune at the same time! I will not allow our first chosen master in over a millennia to lose herself like this!"

For the next month in Naruko's mindscape, Masa would beat the basics of the Mastermune into her, and the anger into submission, punishing her mistakes without mercy. Every time she allowed her newfound feelings get to her Masa would kick it up another notch, forcing her to abandon her attempts to stew in her negative emotions. By the end of the fourth day, the foul mood Naruko had been in had evaporated, replaced by the joy of her training. **(1)**

* * *

To the Root team Danzo had posted to watch over Naruko, she had been in that underground cave doing god knows what for just a little bit longer than twenty four hours by the time she emerged.

She looked a little exhausted and hungry, but overall she was the same girl they all had come to know. The presence of her usual expression relaxed them slightly. They had been concerned that they might have to physically subdue the blonde typhoon, and that would have been a shame. She was such a promising apprentice, and a lot of work had gone into her training.

"Hey guys!" She called over to them, waving her left arm. They weren't exactly trying to conceal their presence. Not much of a need to out here in the Forest of Death. "Sorry I worried you. Just had some stuff to think about. Oh! And look at my new weapon! Isn't it awesome!?" Her right arm was now excitedly waving the Mastermune over her head. It was an interesting sight, the four and half foot tall girl effortlessly waving the seven foot long weapon.

Whatever she had been doing in there had obviously done the trick in returning her to her normal self. Danzo had warned them that she would likely be behaving differently for a while. Wordlessly and as one, the four man team gave a brief nod in acknowledgment and pointed back towards the village.

Smile in place, Naruko turned and ran off in the indicated direction in a blur, the Root agents trailing behind her after a quick Doton combination to place a solid stone slab over the cave entrance and refill the pit with dirt.

Knowing that Root teams preferred not to talk while on duty unless absolutely necessary, Naruko let her thoughts drift to her stay in her now much more pleasant mindscape. After she had been broken out of her betrayal induced funk, and during one of the breaks Masa had graced her with, he had taken the time to explain just what the Mastermune is.

* * *

*****Flashback*****

_Naruko is hunched over gasping for air, covered in scratches and bruises. Masa really wasn't called 'The Strong' for nothing. The little guy fought with the ferocity of a tiger and the skill of a master warrior._

"_You're doing good Naruko-Chan. You're physical conditioning is superb."_

"_And yet you're still dominating Masa-Sensei. You're stature is very misleading."_

_Masa smiled encouragingly, "That is an advantage to being small. If you put in the right effort, you can really take advantage of peoples underestimations. You're handling the Mastermune well for your first time."_

_Just as Naruko was catching her breath, Masa sat on the soft sand beneath them, gesturing for Naruko to do the same. She complied, looking at him curiously._

"_Let me tell you about the Mastermune. It is more than just a bladed staff with two consciousnesses within it. The Mastermune is a holy blade, very well suited to combating dark and demonic forces, whose blades will never dull. Because of this, it will be particularly useful to you. The Kyuubi's demonic chakra is toxic to human bodies, including yours. You just have a stronger resistance to it than anyone else. The Mastermune can neutralize that chakra should it start overwhelming you. It already has twice now, in case you hadn't noticed."_

"_It has? When? I haven't even had it for a day yet."_

"_When Danzo was telling you about the events of your birthday. Your fury drew out the Kyuubi's chakra twice. Before it could overwhelm your natural resistance, the Mastermune's holy energy suppressed it."_

"_Masa-Sensei, you said this is a holy weapon. Won't it be, oh I dunno, corrupted or something in the hands of a shinobi. We don't exactly have the best morals."_

"_This is true. Holy weapons can be corrupted. But that's one of the reasons Mune and I are here. If you are about to, or are on the path of corrupting the weapon, we will warn you. If you do not heed that warning, the Mastermune and we will abandon you." Masa's eyes were hard; there would be no compromises on this matter. Then they went back to his usual friendly and confident gaze. "But, I don't think you need to be too worried about that. You would have to do something like intentionally, willfully and knowingly murder an innocent with the Mastermune. Corrupting something holy is a lot more about the intent, than the action. And judging from Danzo's tuition you've been undergoing, you're not going to be sent on the dark missions. Anyone you will have to lift a blade against will have given strong provocation, be a shinobi themselves or some kind of bandit or outlaw. For someone like you, corrupting the Mastermune would be incredibly difficult, not that Mune and I would let you."_

_At this point Mune appeared in a dull flash, sitting next to his Brother._

"_I see you've regained yourself Naru-Chan. Welcome back." He turned to his brother. "Allow me to take over the explanations Masa. This is as good a time as any to tell her about the abilities I will teach her."_

_Masa nodded easily. It had long been established between the two that Masa would handle the martial matters with their wielders, and Mune would handle the intellectual and Jutsu side._

"_Now, Naru-Chan. Being the wielder of the Mastermune grants you the ability to manipulate holy energies. These can be used to combat both dark creatures and mundane creatures. These energies of course will be stronger against dark creatures, such as demons and undead than your fellow humans. And of course, being holy energy, it can be applied for healing purposes, but those will exhaust you greatly due to the Kyuubi's presence. Using it to fight something appeals to passive demonic chakra, probably because it's violent, so it will not hinder your ability, but using it to heal someone other than yourself will offend it, and it will try to stop you."_

"_The first technique that you will be taught is this."_

_Mune stood, and faced a tree several meters away, lifting his right hand. "__**Hijutsu: Koshi-Sen (Photon Beam)**__" A ball of light gathered in his palm before a lance of light shot out from the ball, crashing into the tree and turning it into splinters. His demonstration done, he turned smiling to Naruko._

"_The first of many Jutsu I have in store for you."_

_Naruko grinned widely. "Awesome."_

*****End of Flashback*****

* * *

Dropping down outside the fence surrounding the forest, Naruko turned to check on the team who had been following her. They were all slightly hunched over and panting.

She smiled and waved at them as she began walking back towards the market area. She was hungry, and she intended to get that fixed. "Good job keeping up guys! I'll see you around okay?"

People were giving the Mastermune looks of curiosity and awe. It certainly was magnificent looking, so Naruko couldn't blame them. It was currently attached to her back with chakra, a variant of the leaf exercise. Because it was so much longer than she was tall, it was attached to her right shoulder, the blade sticking out a few feet above her head. She was careful not to let anyone walk too closely to her right side so they couldn't accidently cut their own head off somehow. It wouldn't be an issue when she got taller and the blade wasn't sticking so far out, but she would have to find something to cover the blades in the mean time.

She was passing by a ramen stand by the name of Ramen Ichiraku when she saw a familiar back sitting on one of the stools.

She took the stool next on his right. "Hey Lee-Kun, how're you doin?"

He looked over at her, noodles hanging out of his mouth. When he recognized her, his eyes lit up and the noodles sped down his gullet with a loud slurp.

"Naruko-Chan! What a pleasant surprise! I am doing very well. I'm now the second strongest student in our class for Taijutsu. The others don't pick on me anymore because I can defeat them in a fight. And it's all thanks to you Naruko-Chan!" He declared with a huge grin. Ever since they became friends, the four of them, Naruko, Lee, Sai and Tenten would train together regularly. This produced large leaps in skill for Tenten and Lee, the spars and measuring sticks of each other's abilities spurring them to train harder. It was a much more effective means of training than the regimen's they had been doing on their own.

Naruko giggled, "That's great Lee-Kun! I'm proud of you."

Before anything else could be said they were interrupted by a kind looking older man. "Hey Lee-Kun, whose you're friend? Could it be that this is actually a date and you got started without her?" The man shook his head in mock disappointment. "For shame Lee-Kun, for shame."

Lee flailed a bit, waving his hands back and forth in front of him. "Ahh, no! This isn't a date, it's a complete coincidence, right Naruko-Chan?" He looked to her desperately.

Naruko mock pouted. "What's wrong with me Lee-Kun?" She pretended to sniffle, "Am I not good enough for you?" fake tears welled lightly in the corners of her eyes.

Lee gasped in horror. What kind of friend was he that he would upset his dearest friend like so!? "No! That's not true Naruko-Chan. Any man would be beyond lucky to date you! And for anyone to say otherwise is a liar of the highest magnitude!"

The man laughed approvingly, and Naruko gave a very pleased smile, a light blush crossing her cheeks. Most girls her age would have been reduced to a stuttering mess at his earnest words, but Naruko had long since gotten used to him complimenting her. He was a very appreciative friend that always made sure to encourage and support those he called friend. It was largely thanks to him that Sai and her had come so far emotionally.

"Aww, thanks Lee-Kun, that's very sweet of you to say. But I was only teasing; you don't have to be worried about offending me." She bumped her shoulder against his in a comfortable camaraderie.

Lee smiled in response and turned to the proprietor. "Teuchi-San, this is my good friend Uzumaki Naruko-Chan. Naruko-Chan, this is Ichiraku Teuchi-San. His is the best ramen in the village."

"Nice to meet you Ojou-Chan. **(2)** Is there anything I can get for you?" He smiled kindly at her. The whole ramen stand gave off a very homey and comforting feel. It was nice, Naruko concluded.

"Well, I haven't had any ramen before Teuchi-San. Which is the most popular?"

"Never?" Teuchi turned to Lee," Lee-Kun! Why have you waited until now to bring this poor deprived girl to my shop? This must be rectified at once!" He pushed up his sleeves, a determined glint in his black eyes. "One Super Deluxe Ramen Special coming up on the house!"

"Wow thanks Teuchi-Ojisan!" Naruko's eyes had lit up. After a childhood of starvation, free food was a surefire way to get on Naruko's good side.

While the older man got busy, Naruko wanted to show off the Mastermune to Lee.

"Lee-Kun, check out what I found yesterday." She stood from the stool and walked several paces back, making sure there wasn't anyone around her, she pulled the Mastermune from her shoulder. "The weapon Ten-Chan and I have been trying to figure out for the last few weeks."

Lee's eyes widened in awe. "That's amazing Naruko-Chan. You're certain this is the weapon from your dreams? It's beautiful."

She grinned proudly, letting Lee hold and examine it. "Isn't it? And yes I am certain that it's the weapon from my dreams. Seeing it pretty much every night for four years would make it very hard to mistake. And it told me."

"You're starting to sound like Tenten-Chan. It told you? Like it spoke words?"

"Yea, it told me. That thing is called the Mastermune, and it is inhabited by two consciousnesses who can speak to me telepathically."

Most people would be skeptical at hearing this, but Lee could be trusting to a fault. He just nodded in understanding. Tenten would probably just let it go without thinking about it so she could gush over the exotic weapon more quickly. If Sai hadn't been there when she picked it up and saw her apparent discovery of the Kyuubi, or if he hadn't been her friend for a year, might have been skeptical. Then again, Root was trained to accept odd situations that presented themselves.

Seeing Teuchi approaching with a huge bowl filled with ramen Naruko hopped back into her chair, Lee placing the Mastermune back on her shoulder, which she instinctively held there with her chakra.

"Order up! Enjoy."

"Itadakimasu!" Naruko broke apart her chopsticks and dug into the bowl. Upon the first bite, Naruko's eyes widened. She had just discovered heaven. She was nearly purring in delight as she decimated the bowls contents.

She would spend the majority of the money in her wallet filling her black hole of a stomach with the delicious noodles, as Lee, Teuchi, and passersby gathered to watch the spectacle.

* * *

**(1) One day outside her mindscape is roughly a month in her mindscape.**

**(2) Young lady**

**I hope I made that believable. Masa and Mune didn't even give Naruko the chance to become bitter and Gaara-like, using the fact that she had to be trained to their advantage, exhausting her rage and returning her to a viable state of mind. She basically had a month away to get used to her situation, with Masa pounding any negativity from her mind.**

**Thanks for the reviews, they really mean a lot to me! I hope you continue to enjoy.**

**Also, Omake!**

How to fail at Emo

Tenten was busy practicing her throwing technique when Naruko wandered onto the field, looking very strange.

"Uhh, What's up Naruko-Chan?"

"I just found out my dad sealed the Kyuubi in me, and now I'm emo."

Tenten blinked. "…What?"

"I have the Kyuubi sealed in me, and now I'm emo."

"But…but why do you look like a blonde panda?" And indeed she did. When Danzo had finished telling her the circumstances of her birthday, she had gone out to buy lots of makeup and proceeded to paint everything around her eyes black, put on black lipstick, and white face pain over everything else in an effort to be more emo.

"Because I'm emo now! I saw some of the civilian teenagers do stuff like this."

Tenten smiled, barely containing a giggle. "Naruko-Chan, you're not emo."

"Yes I am!"

"You're smiling. Therefore, you're not emo."

Yup, Naruko had panda like makeup and still had her standard expression of squinted eyes and a smile.

"Am not."

"Are too."

"…What about now?"

"Yup, still smiling."

Naruko huffed and walked over to the nearby pond. She proceeded to make lots of very strained noises while trying to contort her face into something other than a smile. She failed miserably, and this was how Sai and Lee found them.

"What're you doing?" Lee asked them.

"Naruko-Chan's trying to be emo. And she's failing so adorably."

"I'm not adorable, I'm emo!" Came the blondes whining voice, whose face was still held in her smile.

**Ugh, what have I done? ****That was terrible. Just something that popped out at 3:30 in the morning. Maybe I should've waited to post this until I had slept for the night, but I couldn't wait. Anyways, please review, all feedback, constructive criticism, and questions welcome.**


	6. The Land of Fire's Red Gem

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Rurouni Kenshin or Chrono Cross. I am writing this purely to see reader reaction and for fun. I make no financial profit doing this.

Chapter 6 – The Land of Fire's Red Gem

After demolishing a staggering thirty bowls of ramen, Naruko and Lee were heading towards the Academy training ground. Today was one the days set aside for the four friends to train with each other. Lee was quickly jumping all around her, both excited for the upcoming training session and trying to figure out Naruko's secret of being able to consume more ramen than her stomach could feasibly hold at one time. He knew that she had a super high metabolism, but come on; this had to be pushing it.

"I don't get it Naruko-Chan, how did you eat so much ramen without exploding?" She was good naturedly allowing him to poke lightly at her stomach.

"I'm just that awesome I guess. And to be fair, it's been a little bit more than a day since I ate anything. I got all caught up when I found the Mastermune that I forgot about food." She said as they arrived on the training field where Tenten was going through a kata with a wooden staff.

"Alright Tenten!" Lee cheered, "Your flames of youth are burning brightly today!"

Tenten twitched before her staff was suddenly rocketing at his head, smacking into his forehead and leaving a nice red welt.

"Damnit Lee! I told you you were hanging out with that green spandex guy too much, and now you're even talking like him! You better not start dressing like him too!" She yelled at him, jabbing a finger in his direction.

"But Gai-Sensei is so amazing! He's the best Taijutsu user in the village!"

Before Tenten could rebut, they were interrupted by Sai's arrival. "Lee-Kun is right Tenten-Chan. Maito Gai is the village's best Taijutsu specialist. For someone like Lee who specializes in it himself, there is no one better for him to 'hang out' with.

"Yea, and Lee-Kun's only gotten better since Gai-San started giving him some training tips. And besides, there's something far more important that you should pay attention to." Naruko said, holding out the Mastermune for Tenten to see.

Tenten squee'd in excitement, her eyes sparkling before she rushed to fawn over the holy weapon. Naruko let her hold it without comment, just smiling at her friend.

Sai looked carefully at Naruko trying to figure out why she was behaving so normally. After the events of the previous day he expected her to be somewhat withdrawn at the very least. But here she was, smiling normally and showing off her new weapon.

"It's so beautiful Naru-Chan! Where did you find it?" Tenten asked, admiring the craftsmanship.

"The far side of the Forest of Death in training ground forty four, hidden in an underground cave. Sai and I had to get permission from Hokage-Sama to even go in there."

Tenten glared, "You took Sai and not me? I was way more involved in looking for this beauty than he was!" She was now leaning over Naruko who had leaned backwards, hands held placatingly in front of her.

"Sorry Ten-Chan, I was just too excited to follow my gut feeling that I forgot. And besides, we only got permission because Danzo-Sama vouched for us. He's been training Sai-Kun and I for half of our lives, but he doesn't know how skilled you are." Still mildly glaring Tenten backed up a little, handing the Mastermune back to her.

Naruko cleared her throat, "Um, there's something I need to tell you all." Masa and Mune had been pushing her to tell her friends about the Kyuubi as soon as possible, like taking off a band-aid…even though she had never even worn a band-aid and therefore had no idea what it was like. Mune had even threatened that he wouldn't teach her anymore of his Secret Jutsu until she told them, so she wouldn't be distracted by having the issue hanging over her head.

Sai's eyes widened. She was going to tell them? Had Danzo-Sama cleared this? He would just have to trust that Naruko knew what she was doing. There wasn't much he could do to stop her without making Lee and Tenten suspicious…well without making Tenten suspicious, Lee probably wouldn't be difficult to convince or distract.

"The night that I found the Mastermune," She slightly lifted it, "it took me into my mindscape. There I met two spirits that reside in it, Masa and Mune." None of them interrupted her, Lee having already basically heard this part, Tenten's eyes going back to that sparkly state of awe, and Sai having enough self control to let her finish her story before asking questions.

"They showed me something in my mindscape, the reason the villagers are so wary of me." She took a deep breath, her friends now looking very concerned.

"The night the Kyuubi attacked the village, the Yondaime sealed it within me." Her eyes were tightly shut, too scared to look at their reactions. A short moment later that felt like an eternity to Naruko, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Opening her eyes, she found Sai smiling encouragingly at her, and she relaxed marginally.

"You have the Kyuubi sealed inside you?" Tenten and Lee just looked confused. The Academy didn't teach much about the tailed beasts or the fact that they could be sealed within people to keep them at bay.

She nodded, "And _that's_ why everyone looks at you like that?!" Tenten was starting to sound angry. Lee still looked mildly confused, but was grinning at Naruko. Clearly this was upsetting to his friend, so he would do whatever he could to make her feel better.

"They don't even know you and they're judging you for something that happened the very night you were born?!" Tenten grabbed Naruko up into a crushing hug. "Well don't worry about them Naru-Chan, cause we don't need em!"

"That's right! Even with the Kyuubi inside of you, you're still our precious friend!" Lee was now in his 'good guy' pose he adopted from Gai, complete with sparkling teeth.

Sai nodded in agreement, "You've never given us reason to doubt you before Naruko-Chan, and we're not going to start now."

"_See? We told you it wouldn't be so bad, didn't we?"_ Masa's asked her. Naruko could only nod in response and hug Tenten back.

* * *

"**Futon: Daitoppa! (Great Breakthrough)"** A strong gust of wind blew away all of the kunai and shuriken Tenten had just thrown at Naruko. Naruko ran right behind the wind, her wakizashi drawn to engage Tenten in close quarters combat.

Tenten quickly unsealed a kodachi just a little bit shorter than Naruko's weapon, but also a little bit faster. Deflecting her own projectiles, Tenten met Naruko head on, her blade catching Naruko's.

Taking her right hand off of her sword, Naruko threw a palm strike at Tenten's shoulder knocking her off balance followed by a spin kick to her stomach, sending the brunette flying onto her back.

Tenten poofed out of existence, replaced by a log, and another wave of shuriken flew at Naruko, this time coated in flames.

Using her own **Kawarimi** Naruko changed places with the log Tenten had used. Before the smoke had even cleared Naruko was running through another set of hand seals. **"Futon: Shinkugyoku!"** Multiple spheres of highly compressed air shot in the direction the shuriken had come from, tearing into the trees and foliage.

Tenten appeared on a large branch, well away from the attack as Naruko's attention was away from her. She spun a kusarigama **(1)** over her head twice before whipping it towards Naruko. The chain wrapped around Naruko's sword wielding arm, with Naruko letting the blade bounce off the armor weave in the shoulders of her jacket.

Tenten grinned and ran through some quick hand seals, ending with Tiger. **"Katon: Ryuka no Jutsu! (Dragon Fire Technique)" **Holding one hand in a tiger seal beside her lips, Tenten spat out a stream of fire that raced down the length of the chain she held.

Before the fire could reach her, Naruko grabbed the chain binding her arm with her right hand, and forced as much chakra as she could through the chain. Halfway down the length the fire met her chakra and was blown off with a loud bang, as her chakra overwhelmed it, pushing the fire off of the chain.

Tenten let go of her end before the chakra wave could reach her and jumped away, just as Naruko's chakra reached the end. The handle Tenten had been holding was pointing at the trees trunk, and now Naruko's chakra had escaped through it like a cannon, denting the thick wooden body, the chain being blasted off the branch by the recoil. Before Tenten could do anything else, Naruko had appeared behind her, the dull side of her wakizashi held at her neck holding her firmly against Naruko's chest.

"Whoa! That was new Naruko-Chan. I thought my fire chakra beat out your wind chakra." A few months after becoming friends, Naruko had brought Tenten and Lee one piece of chakra paper each. Tenten's had burned brightly, indicating a strong affinity for fire, and Lee's had crumbled into dust, showing an affinity for earth, although he still couldn't use Jutsu, it was still interesting to find out.

"Oh it does Ten-Chan." Naruko said cheerfully, re sheathing her sword and handing back the kusarigama. "But that wasn't my wind chakra. That was just regular chakra. Lots of regular chakra. And you're getting pretty good. You're fire techniques have come a long way."

"Well that's thanks to you for getting those scrolls for me." Naruko had snuck a set of the beginner fire user scrolls from Danzo's collection, copied them, and gave them to Tenten. At least Naruko thought she snuck them out, but Danzo had been well aware, he just didn't see any reason to do anything about it.

There hadn't been anything in the Academy library because they didn't think they could trust such information to be publically available to children. Of course those from prominent ninja clans had the advantage of their clan libraries, all of which should contain this level of jutsu information, so it was only fair that a serious Kunoichi candidate like Tenten be able to benefit from them as well.

Just as the two had managed to collect Tenten's expended weaponry, a familiar ANBU appeared nearby.

"Tora-San? What are you doing here?"

"Hokage-Sama wants to see you Uzumaki-Chan. Don't delay." And with that and a quick pat on Naruko's head, he **Shunshined (Body Flicker)** away again.

"Ah, guess I gotta go guys, see ya later!" Naruko waved to her friends and ran off towards the Hokage Tower, the Mastermune flying to her hand from where it had been leaned against a tree. She wasn't quite comfortable enough with it yet to trust herself not to seriously hurt someone in training with it. Tenten waved while Sai and Lee continued their spar, knowing not to take their attention off of their opponent. In a real battle that could get you killed.

* * *

The Hokage's secretary motioned Naruko through the door before she could even open her mouth in greeting. The Sandaime had informed her less than three minutes ago to just send her in when she arrived.

Naruko just gave a small shrug, knocked once and entered, seeing the Hokage, elders Danzo, Homura, and Koharu, and Konohamaru there, who quickly ran up to her when she entered.

"Hey Ko-Chan!" She bent down and picked him up into a hug. "I heard that you've been missing me huh?" She said in a very teasing tone.

"What!? No I haven't. Jii-Chan! Why'd you tell Naruko-Nee that I missed her!?"

"So you didn't miss me?" She dropped him on his feet and turned her head up and away from him with a huff. "Well fine, then I guess I should just go and find Udon-Chan and Moegi-Chan and hang out with them from now on."

"Nooo! Don't do that! I missed you a lot okay!?" He said clutching at her waist desperately.

She giggled a little and patted his head. "That's what I thought Ko-Chan. You won't be rid of me that easily." Walking up to the Hokage's desk, she turned her attention to the man who had summoned her, Konohamaru attached to her leg, being lifted with her leg as she stepped, not slowing her down at all.

"So what'd you need Hokage-Sama? Another babysitting mission for Ko-Chan and friends?"

"Something like that Naruko-Chan. Next week is the birthday of the Prince of the land of fire, Moesashi. **(2) **I've been invited and I'm taking Konohamaru with me. I want to take you as well to keep an eye on him when I can't, and this is a good chance for you to see Aka Ippin, our countries capital." **(3)**

"Do I have to bring a present?"

"No, I'm bringing something to represent Konoha's gift for the prince. You will just be along as Konohamaru's minder, and unofficially as a bit of extra security. Danzo's already agreed to let me bring you with."

"Okay, I'm in."

"Be very aware of your surroundings Naruko. Learn as much as you can while outside of the village." Danzo said.

"Come on Konohamaru-Chan, it's time to go. Hokage-Sama has something he must speak to Naruko-San about alone." Koharu pried Konohamaru away from Naruko, and carried him out of the office, with much protest on his part, with Homura following after them.

The Sandaime's expression took a more serious tone. "Now, Naruko-Chan, I understand that you have recently learned of your heritage, and the burden inside you. Thanks to that weapon you now carry on your back." He said, nodding at the Mastermune.

Naruko's eyes took a harder disposition. "Yes Hokage-Sama, I have. I'm honestly surprised I never figured it out for myself." She said, glaring at the Yondaime's portrait. She had the same hair and eyes as the man, and she'd been in this office and seen that portrait many times.

"I'm surprised you're so composed Naruko-Chan. I expected lots of yelling and violence when you found out." The Sandaime said, keeping a careful eye on her and her hands.

"There was. But the Mastermune was kind enough to drag me into my mindscape and beat that out of me. Time passes differently out here than it did in my mindscape. A day out here is about a month in there." She explained, "The Mastermune is home to two people, Masa and Mune. They're teaching me how to wield the Mastermune.

"And this Mastermune is capable of subduing the Kyuubi's chakra?"

"That's right. It's a holy weapon, suited to combating dark and demonic creatures, and they've got a bunch of cool tricks to teach me." Her eyes never stopped glaring at the Yondaime's portrait. Sarutobi followed her gaze and sighed in sadness.

"You really hate your father don't you?"

Naruko's smile vanished, replaced with a scowl. "_Don't_ _ever_ call him that again. As far as I'm concerned I don't have a father. Just some man who betrayed me and I hope is suffering wherever he is right now."

The Mastermune pulsed warningly when red began bleeding into her irises. Naruko took a deep breath and the red faded and she brought back her smile. "I'm sorry Hokage-Sama. I got a little carried away there."

After a few moments of silence the Sandaime continued. "As the only heir to Uzumaki Kushina's and the Yondaime's assets and properties, once you become a legally recognized adult you can claim your inheritance, meaning either the age of sixteen or becoming an official shinobi of Konoha, whichever comes first."

"I understand Hokage-Sama. Can I get a list of my inheritances?" Her hatred for the Yondaime wouldn't stop her from taking advantage of everything he left behind.

The Sandaime pulled out a folder and placed it on his desk in front of her. "This is a copy of the list of assets and properties left for you. And I prepared this in anticipation for the day you learned about your parents." He said, ignoring her flinch at the plural use of the word parent, and pulled out another, much thinner folder. "Shall I remove everything about the Yondaime?"

Naruko was silent for a moment, considering his question. Danzo had taught her to take advantage of everything she could, and there could potentially be something useful in the information about the Yondaime the Hokage was offering her. But on the other hand, she didn't know if she'd be able to even read it without the Mastermune constantly smacking down the Kyuubi's chakra.

"…Leave it in. If it comes down to it I can just ignore or destroy it. They are copies right?"

"That's correct Naruko-Chan. You can go now. I imagine that you want to get started on those files."

"Thank you Hokage-Sama. When are we leaving for the capital?"

"In two days. Pack as if you're getting ready for a C-rank mission, and be here at seven a.m."

Naruko tucked the folders under her left arm. "Good evening Hokage-Sama. I'll see you in a couple of days."

As soon as the door closed the Sandaime said to Danzo, "Well, that went better than I expected. And that Mastermune certainly was interesting. I wonder just what we'll see out of her as she gets older."

Danzo nodded with a quiet grunt of agreement. "Yes, it did. That's the third time I've seen that weapon prevent her from losing control. I'm more certain than ever that Naruko-Chan will be the most powerful shinobi Konoha's ever produced, including the Yondaime."

* * *

Naruko had locked herself in her room and was sitting cross legged on her bed. Spread in front of her was her list of inheritances. She wanted to get through that before treading the emotional mine field that file on her parents promised to be.

Most of the bulk in the file was legal mumbo jumbo that she skimmed over. Finally, after about six pages of this she found the start of the list.

A combined net worth of 79,232,711 ryo in the bank, A large cottage on the outskirts of the village, in a very private area, with lots of space to expand and build an official clan compound if she wants to someday, seeing as how it also included everything around the house to around four miles out, and several armories worth of assorted shinobi weaponry and equipment, though just how much of that was still in serviceable condition after eight years of neglect was questionable.

She probably didn't have to work a day in her life if she didn't want to, but she still had her goal of becoming the strongest shinobi ever seen by Konoha. She repacked those files and placed it into her desk, leaving the drawer open for now.

Now came the scary file.

Opening it came the face of the Yondaime. She glared at it, but decided she might as well get him out of the way so she could focus on her mother. It was very short unsurprisingly. Full name, Date of Birth, Date of Death, Cause of death, Occupation and rank. That was it. A small photo and a bunch of information she already knew, other than his birth date. Oh well, she wouldn't lose sleep over it. She took the page on the Yondaime and turned it over so she could continue.

There she was. Uzumaki Kushina. She had vibrant red hair and blue eyes, a lighter shade than her own. They had a gleam of kindness in them, but also a tad mischievous as well. The other information was the same as her fathers. Name, birth, etc. She had been a Jounin.

Unclipping the picture from the file, she closed the folder and tossed it into the still open drawer in her desk. She blew a stream of wind from her mouth pushing it closed and made a quick hand seal, activating the desks security seals. She lay back on her bed, the picture held above her. Too bad it wasn't raining. She could really use a walk right about now.

* * *

The two days passed quickly, with Naruko telling her friends that she'd be out of the village for a while visiting the capital with the Hokage as his grandsons babysitter, getting her bag packed which took all of five minutes, sealing that bag into a seal on the inside of her jacket, and visiting the house that she would inherit.

It was a two story building, smooth dark brown wooden walls, strong looking oak door, and dark green roof. If you didn't know it was there, you might overlook it, it was so well constructed and colored, mistaking it for more trees. When she peeked in through the windows she saw a bunch of mildly out of date furniture covered in dust that she would probably replace. She couldn't get any closer looks because of the security seal grid, most likely placed by the Yondaime himself. The only reason she got this close was probably because she had that mans blood in her veins.

She arrived at the Hokage's office ten minutes to seven, ready to go, the Mastermune's blades now wrapped in royal purple cloth with golden ropes tying them shut. It would take a second to unwrap them should a fight break out, but she figured with the Hokage and a squad of ANBU around, she'd be fine. And she always had her trusty wakizashi.

She was waved on through by the secretary. When she entered she found the Hokage, a four man team of ANBU, none of whom she recognized, and a mostly asleep Konohamaru.

"Good Morning Hokage-Sama." She said walking over and sitting next to the dozing Konohamaru. He didn't hesitate to cuddle against her.

"Good morning Naruko-Chan, are you excited to see Aka Ippin?"

"Yea, this'll be the first time I've ever been outside the village walls. How long will it take to get there?"

"Judging from what Danzo's told me about your speed, we should be able to make it there in less than three hours. If you don't mind, I'll have you carry Konohamaru."

"Sure, no problem here. In fact, I bet I could get there faster than you could if I knew the way."

"Haha, well I'm an old man Naruko-Chan. That's nothing to brag about."

Naruko giggled, "Yea, an old man that's also the most famous and powerful shinobi currently residing in Konoha.

On her left Konohamaru awoke with some grumbling. "Nee-Chan, when did you get here? Are we there yet?"

"We haven't even left yet Ko-Chan. I just got here a few minutes ago. You're Jii-San is all old and slow, so he's not ready yet."

A couple of the ANBU stifled a chuckle, covering it with a cough. They didn't fool the Sandaime, but he was a nice guy and let them get away with it.

"He's your Jii-San too Nee-Chan. Since you're my Nee-Chan and he's my Jii-San, he's also you're Jii-San."

Ah the logic of children. But nonetheless, Naruko would humor him. "Right, what was I thinking? My apologies Jii-Chan, I've been addressing you wrongly for over a year now.

Hiruzen let out a grin. _"Good boy Konohamaru. The more precious bonds she has the less worried I have to be for her."_

"Alright," The Hokage said. "I've got everything set now. Let's get moving. Konohamaru-Kun, Naruko-Chan will be carrying you there. I hope that's alright with you."

"Yea! Nee-Chan is the best!"

Naruko reached back and took the Mastermune from her shoulder and placed it on her jacket over her heart and put it in the storage seal Mune had taught her how to make. She liked the weight of it on her back so she didn't want to seal it unless she had to.

Ten minutes later they were tree hopping their way towards the capital, with Konohamaru being carried piggy back style. At first Konohamaru was really excited at being able to travel so quickly, but he got bored after about half an hour of the quickly passing by scenery and fell back asleep, drooling slightly on Naruko's jacket.

They made even better time than the Sandaime had thought they would, arriving at nine forty five, two and a half hours after they had gotten started.

The city was huge, bigger than Konoha even. Maybe twice as large as the hidden village. The buildings all looked very similar to those in Konoha, built in the same style. Instead of shinobi walking the streets and keeping peace, there were samurai, wearing heavy plate armor patrolling. There was a lot of bustle going on, probably in celebration or preparation for the birthday of their crown prince, and there were lots of merchant caravans setting up in designated areas with many people, civilian, samurai, and even a few off duty or passing through Leaf-Nin browsing the wares, who offered quick salutes to the Sandaime who nodded at them and signaled for them to continue on as they were.

Naruko bent down, waking up Konohamaru and setting him on his own feet. She took his right hand in her left firmly, making sure not to let go of him for any reason. "Wake up Ko-Chan, we're here. And it looks like a good chunk of the city is being turned into a giant festival."

Like many children Konohamaru became very excited and tried to run off to explore the festivities, but Naruko's hold on him kept him from moving very far. "Come on Naruko-Nee, I wanna go see everything!"

"We can explore later Konohamaru-Kun," The Sandaime said, "But right now we must go to the Fire Daimyo's palace and let them know of our arrival."

The group continued on, with much whining from Konohamaru until Naruko smacked him over the head. "No one likes a crybaby Ko-Chan, so cut it out or we're not going to check out any of the festival at all." He quickly quieted down after that, but maintained a determined pout. All the other members of their party were silently grateful for the blondes influence over the young boy.

It took them roughly twenty minutes to make their way to the palace. As they approached the front gate they were stopped at the checkpoint by a group of five samurai.

"Identification and business please." They might have the Hokage in their group, but there were still procedures that had to be observed to maintain security. The head of the Palace Guard Sanada Kojuro took his duty very seriously and maintained a strict discipline amongst the Royal Guard.

"Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and his ANBU guard, his grandson Konohamaru, and his grandsons minder Uzumaki Naruko." The Sandaime said, handing over a stack of documents.

The guard nodded and handed back the documents after checking them over. He was about to wave the gate open, but it opened before he could. A very large man, probably seven feet tall and powerfully built, clad in black heavy plate armor with elegant silver lining approached them. At his waist were two swords. One was a nodachi, a four foot long blade that usually was strapped to the wielders back due to its great size and weight, and the other a katana, probably fulfilling the function of a secondary weapon, like a wakizashi did for the average samurai in case their primary weapon was unavailable.**(4)**

"Hail and well met honorable Hokage-Sama." The man's voice was deep and cheerful as he removed his helmet, revealing short brown hair and red eyes, holding it under his left arm. He had tanned tough looking skin and a white scar down his right cheek and a bright smile on his face. He looked to be about twenty years of age. "Welcome to Kaen Yosai." He said offering his hand to the Hokage. **(5) **This was Sanada Kojuro, the palace's head of the guard.

Naruko's face went red and her mouth went dry.

"Good afternoon Kojuro-Dono, I thought we'd see you at the gates. You seem well." The Hokage smiled warmly at the younger, yet much taller man and shook the offered hand heartily.

"Please, come this way. The Daimyo is in the Great Hall." The man said sweeping his arm, indicating the correct path.

Before they started down the path, Kojuro glanced towards Naruko and Konohamaru whose eyes were darting rapidly around at the training samurai, the patrols on the walls and the beautiful gardens and sculptures in the courtyard. Naruko's blush deepened a bit at his attention.

"And are these your grandchildren Hokage-Sama? I was only aware that you had one."

"The boy is mine, his name is Konohamaru. The girl is his declared big sister Uzumaki Naruko, so some might call her my granddaughter. She's just about the only one I can trust to keep him under control; he'd probably exhaust any of his other sitters in this situation."

"Well met Konohamaru-Kun, Naruko-Chan." He grinned brightly at them, giving a light bow.

Naruko shifted into a deeper bow, placing hand on Konohamaru's head to make him do the same. "A pleasure Kojuro-Sama. I'm impressed with how well trained your men are." She said, rising out of her bow, Konohamaru glaring at her.

"I drill them every day. Only the best can serve in the Royal Guard. I noticed that wakizashi you have there. Are you any good with it?"

"I've been told I have some skill with it."

The Sandaime let out a quick bark of laughter. "Hah! _Some_ _skill_ she says. One of my ANBU commanders likes to call her Naruko the Tenjin because of her talent with that blade. He tells me that it seems as if she were blessed by the heavens with how quickly she took to Kenjutsu."

"Really? You don't say. That sounds very impressive, perhaps we could have a match some time Naruko-Chan. I'd like to see this heavenly skill for myself if you have the time." The man seemed to have a perpetual smile or grin on his face. Not like Naruko and Sai, whose were fake half of the time, but a genuinely happy expression. He must be an optimist, and very popular.

Naruko, still retaining her blush nodded. "I'd be honored to spar with you Kojuro-Sama. Though I'm not sure I'll be able to stand up to the one trusted to protect the Royal Family."

Hiruzen was grinning widely seeing Naruko's expression. He had seen it many times on the faces of young girls. Naruko apparently had a crush on the young man.

"I'll hold you to that Naruko-Chan." Kojuro said as they reached a set of very large red doors. "Welcome to the Kaen Yosai's Great Hall." He pushed the doors open, revealing lots of red and gold coloring. There were multiple tapestries and displays, holding weapons, armors, sculptures, and other works of art lining the walls. At the end of the room there was a large golden throne, upon which sat the Fire Daimyo with his wife to his left, and his son on a smaller throne to his right.

The Daimyo was a thin, older looking man, with somewhat sunken cheeks, and a glazed look in eyes as if he wasn't paying any attention to what was happening around him. He also has long black hair, dark skin, and wears white, black and gold robes, along with the Daimyo's headdress.

His wife was a rather fat woman, wearing lots of jewelry and seemed to be in the process of crushing a poor brown cat in her embrace.

The son was looking incredibly bored where he was. Naruko couldn't blame him; they were all sitting there doing pretty much nothing at all. Didn't the Royal Family have some important business to take care of?

Overall Naruko did not like what she was seeing out of the rulers of the Land of Fire. Hopefully that would change after meeting them.

The group approached the throne with Kojuro leading the way.

"My Lord, Hokage-Sama and the party from Konoha have arrived."

The glazed look cleared, and he gave a childlike smile. "Oh Hiruzen, I'm glad you could make it. How was the journey?" His wife paid them enough attention to be polite, but most of her attention was still on her cat.

"It was well Daimyo-Sama. It appears that Aka Ippin has already started the festivities for young Moesashi's birthday. There's a lot of excitement in the city."

"Of course there is. He is their beloved crowned prince after all. Who did you bring with you?" He looked at Naruko and Konohamaru with mild interest.

"The four behind me are my ANBU guard, and these two are my grandson Konohamaru and his minder Naruko."

Naruko bowed, once again pulling Konohamaru with her. "We are honored Daimyo-Sama."

"You've trained them well Hiruzen, such good manners. Allow me to call for a servant to show you to your quarters. We can talk more once you've rested a bit, you must be a little tired from the journey."

Kojuro nodded in agreement, "Yes, and I must return to my duties. It was nice meeting you all, I hope you enjoy your stay with us."

A female servant took the shinobi to their suite. A set of four bedrooms connecting to a circular loung/sitting area. When they were alone Naruko looked to the Hokage.

"Please tell me that I'm wrong and that the Daimyo actually has a backbone? From the way he looked I was surprised he was even managing to sit up straight."

The Sandaime sighed in resignation. "Unfortunately, our Daimyo is very weak willed. His advisors have managed to keep him from doing anything devastating for the country, but they can only do so much."

"Well then I guess we'll just have to make sure that Prince Moesashi is up to the task when he takes the throne." Naruko intended to see that Moesashi had the Will of Fire burning in his soul before she left. After all, a strong Daimyo meant a strong Land of Fire and a strong Konoha. And that was Danzo-Sama's primary goal, the strengthening of the village.

* * *

**(1)** **Kusarigama = Chain Sickle in Japanese**

**(2) Moesashi = Ember in Japanese**

**(3) Aka Ippin = Red Gem in Japanese**

**(4) Image link in Profile**

**(5) ****Kaen Yosai = Flame Fortress in Japanese**

**Chapter done! Two or three more chapters until the start of the series. And things keep happening that I don't plan on. Since when does Naruko have a crush on some random OC that probably won't appear often brain!? Apparently since the moment I got to him, but that was news to me. I must not be as in control of this fic as I first thought.**

**So here we have Naruko telling her friends about the Kyuubi, some training, listing her inheritances, going to the capital for the prince's birthday, and Naruko spawned an unexpected crush. Lotsa stuff this chapter.**

**So, like always, let me know what you think, feedback, constructive criticism and questions all welcome.**


	7. Prince Moesashi

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Rurouni Kenshin or Chrono Cross. I am writing this purely to see reader reaction and for fun. I make no financial profit doing this.

Chapter 7 – Prince Moesashi

Naruko was following Konohamaru around, exploring Kaen Yosai. Half of her mind was on Prince Moesashi. How was she going to instill the Will of Fire in that boy? When she saw him he looked like a younger version of his father, uninterested in what was going on around him. Something had to happen to change that, but what? He was the crown prince after all, and while there were certain things that she believed would do the job, they would also land her in jail waiting for execution. Like using **Henge (Transformation)** combined with her **Kage Bunshin** to stage an attack, or just plain out smacking him over the head giving him a good scolding. He had probably never, or had very rarely, been scolded in his entire life.

She had been keeping an eye out for Moesashi, but he wasn't in the Great Hall anymore by the time Konohamaru wandered back there to admire the weapons and armor on display. One of the servants told her that he had swordsmanship lessons with Kojuro at this time, so that just made it even more important that she figure out how she was going to do this and find him.

"Hey Ko-Chan, let's go find the Samurai training areas, it'll be cool to see how different their training is from a shinobi's."

Konohamaru, who had been trying to figure out how to open the display case so he could look closer at the swords in it, looked back at her.

"Is that alright for us to do? I mean, isn't training usually a private thing?"

She waved a hand in dismissal, "If we're not supposed to be there they'll tell us. It'll be fine, c'mon!"

Without waiting for his answer she picked him up by the back of his shirt and began hauling him around.

She quickly made her way over to the training area. She had spotted it when Kojuro was escorting them to the Daimyo. There were dozens of samurai occupying the fields, some in armor and using real blades, some wearing protective pads and wielding practice weapons. It wasn't difficult to spot Kojuro among them, his tall form and black armor standing out vividly, as he corrected Moesashi's stance with his wooden sword.

She quickly hopped up onto a nearby wall, sitting Konohamaru next to her to get a bird's eye view of the training samurai. They were all very skilled from what she could tell. Their movements and attacks very fast and precise. Very little, if any wasted movement. It wasn't difficult to tell why these men and women were trusted to protect the Royal Family.

They had only been watching for a few minutes when Kojuro's voice called up at them. "Naruko-Chan, Konohamaru-Kun, what are you doing up there?" He sounded vaguely amused.

"_Damnit!"_ Naruko shouted in her head when she felt her face heating up again. _"Why does this keep happening?!"_

"Ko-Chan here wanted to see how the Samurai trained, so I brought him up here to make sure he didn't disturb anyone." She covered Konohamaru's mouth before he could point out her lie. It certainly sounded better than her wanting to spy on the Prince or see Kojuro in action.

"Well if you're not busy, why don't you come on down and we can have that spar we talked about. You can help me try to inspire Moesashi-Kun." The boy did seem kind of bored and he was glancing back at the palace every now and then. This seemed like as good a place as any to get closer to Moesashi. Little boys liked violent things right?

Grabbing Konohamaru, she hopped down, landing nearly silently. "Sounds like fun Kojuro-Sama. Ko-Chan, go sit with Moesashi okay?" She bent down and looked him sternly in the eyes. "Do _not_ go anywhere without me."

"I know, besides, I don't get to see you fight very often, and I'm not going to miss this!" He quickly darted over to where Moesashi was sitting at the sidelines.

"This is going to be so cool! Naruko-Nee is one of the strongest people I know. She'll win for sure!"

"I don't know about that Konohamaru, Kojuro-Sensei is the greatest swordsman in the country at least. And look at them, he's almost twice her size and probably like three or four times her body weight." Moesashi was finally showing an interest in something Naruko noted from where she was stretching.

"Height and weight aren't everything you know, especially for a ninja. Nee-Chan's so fast you can hardly even see a blur!" Konohamaru yelled, waving his arms over his head animatedly.

All of the training Samurai had wandered over to see their Captain fight. They weren't expecting to see much from the match, seeing as how his opponent was an eight year old girl half his size, but they never missed a chance to see Kojuro in action.

* * *

"Show me you deserve the title of Naruko the Tenjin, Naruko-Chan." Kojuro said, unsheathing his Nodachi, holding it with both hands in front of him, blade facing Naruko.

"I intend to Kojuro-Sama." To Naruko's great relief, the heat she had been feeling on her face was gone. She held her wakizashi in her right hand, resting it on her shoulder. She was lightly bouncing on her toes, warming up her legs. "Who's refereeing?"

One of the Samurai stepped forward. "I will Taicho. Standard rules?" Kojuro nodded, keeping his eyes on Naruko through the eye holes in his helmet. "Any weapon and technique is allowed, including jutsu, barring lethal and maiming attacks. The fight will continue until one of the participants surrenders, is rendered unconscious, or I deem the match over."

He raised his hand high in the air. "Are both participants ready?" Both nodded, with Naruko ceasing her warming up and dropping into a stance, legs spread, knees lightly bent, and wakizashi held diagonally in front of her chest.

"Begin!" The referees hand chopped down quickly and he jumped back, further outside of the fighting area.

Everyone except Konohamaru were surprised by Naruko turning into a blur they could barely keep track of, the ground erupting in the wake of that blur darting all around Kojuro.

"You're fast Naruko, but the ground gives away your position, and it's difficult to maneuver at such speeds." Kojuro thrust his sword to his left where the blur known as Naruko was just about to reach. Naruko ducked under the blade and without missing a step charged at Kojuro under his arm, his large shoulder armor blocking most of his view of her.

Naruko knew that she would have to give it her all from the start if she wanted to impress Kojuro. He had to be very skilled to have reached his position. She was now under Kojuro, as he was withdrawing his blade. It was too long for him to pull it back into a slash now that she was so close to him.

"Difficult for most…" She crouched low, being clearly visible to the spectators for the first time since the match started and kicked up with her right leg, as she rose on her left. The result was her right foot crushing into Kojuro's armor covered stomach just as both of her legs straightened into a vertical line, putting the strength of both her legs into one attack. "But not me."

The spectators watched in shock as Kojuro was launched high into the air with a startled cry and a huge dent where Naruko had connected.

"**Hijutsu: Koshi-Sen!" **Naruko's right palm was pointed at the airborne Samurai, a bright light lancing out of her palm.

Before it could impact, Kojuro slashed his sword blindingly fast; sending a cutting wave straight through the beam towards Naruko. She dashed forward towards where Kojuro would land, avoiding the wave.

As he landed with a loud thud, Naruko was jumping into the air and slashing at his head, blunt side first. He blocked with his left armored forearm while bringing the hilt of his sword down, crashing into Naruko's forehead, knocking her to the ground. He moved to place his sword against her chest and claim victory when she vanished again in a burst of speed, the ground once again exploding in her wake, and sparks arcing off of his gauntlet from rapid strikes with her wakizashi before she stopped several feet away, sword now held in a reverse grip and sporting a slightly bloody forehead.

"I underestimated you Naruko. You're leg strength is beyond amazing. "His left hand inspected the damage to his armor. "This is some of the strongest armor available. You might have broken me in two if I didn't have it, and my arm may very well have been removed in an actual fight." He resumed his stance. "But I still don't know yet whether that title of yours is fitting. Show me more!" He charged her startlingly fast for a man his size, especially with that armor.

He attacked with wide sweeping strikes. They were so fast and powerful he was creating a strong breeze. Knowing better than to try outright blocking those attacks, Naruko was dodging and parrying as quickly as she could, his blade sometimes missing her by only a hairs breadth. She spun, ducking under another slash, and tried to slash his legs, only for his armored knee to collide with her face.

She back flipped over the return sweep of his sword as she stumbled back, moving through some hand seals. **"Futon: Shinkuha!" **Naruko released a wave of air from her mouth, which collided with Kojuro sending him sliding backwards. As she rushed to take advantage of this, his left hand went to the katana still sheathed at his hip, and drew it in a reverse grip, slashing upwards which Naruko barely avoided.

Kojuro settled into a new stance, the katana in a reverse grip held vertically in front of him, and the nodachi held to his right diagonally. He charged, the katana threatening to cut Naruko in two, which she caught on her wakizashi. Kojuro kept pushing, making Naruko slide backwards, before his nodachi swung low, to take her legs out. She jumped over it and the katana pushing her back, nearly making her opponent stumble at the sudden lack of resistance, she managed to graze the forehead of his helmet with a slash before he was able to duck fully.

Bringing the nodachi back, Kojuro landed the hilt deep into Naruko's stomach while he crashed the hilt of his katana into her throat in a two pronged attack, sending her flying backwards to land on her back gagging.

He once again moved to claim victory, but in a moment of overconfidence sustained a light slash to his more lightly armored thigh, drawing blood. Naruko, still coughing had managed to get her legs under her and make a lunging strike at him while he had his guard down.

"Splendid! Naruko the Tenjin indeed. Such tenacity, even with a nearly crushed windpipe. And there are very few who could graze my head or draw my blood. Are you prepared to continue?"

"Of course I am." Her voice was a little rougher than usual. "None of the conditions for ending the match have been met yet." She sheathed her wakizashi and held her right hand over her heart. In a puff of smoke that momentarily concealed her body, the Mastermune appeared in her hands, and she was tossing the purple cloths that had covered the blades to Konohamaru.

She gave it a flourish, spinning it around her several times before settling into a stance. Both hands on the handle, held at her right side, one blade pointing down in front of her the other pointing up behind her. "Let me try out my new weapon, the Mastermune. I haven't had a chance to really use it yet."

"Yes! That's the spirit Naruko-Chan! Keep fighting right up to the end!" Kojuro adopted his stance again and waited for Naruko to attack.

Naruko held her left hand up to her chest as if she were praying. **"Hijutsu: Inseki! (Meteorite)"** From the sky behind her a boulder sized white ball of energy came rocketing towards Kojuro. He jumped as far back as he could, dodging the attack. It crashed into the ground where he had been standing, erupting into an explosion gouging a crater into the ground. Oddly enough, there were no signs of fire at the site of impact, just a hole in the ground. He didn't have much time to inspect it though as Naruko was soon on top of him swinging the Mastermune at his side.

He blocked with the katana in his left hand and brought the nodachi into a chopping attack with his right. Naruko tilted the Mastermune up, catching the nodachi in one of the hooks on the back blade.

Naruko kicked her opponent in the right thigh, forcing him to take a knee, and maneuvered her blade to sweep at his helmet once the katana wavered in holding it back. At the same time as she attacked, the hooked nodachi was pulled away from Kojuro, who was forced to let go and roll to the right or he would take a blow that would effectively end the match in Naruko's victory.

The nodachi flew several yards behind Naruko, stabbing into the ground. Naruko now thrust one end of the Mastermune at Kojuro's chest. He reacted by slapping aside the blade with the back of his left hand and punched at Naruko with his right, crashing it into her cheek. He quickly flipped his katana into a standard grip and followed up with a downward slash, blocked by the staff section of her weapon.

Kojuro clenched his right hand into Naruko's jacket while her arms were occupied holding off his katana. He lifted her over his head and slammed her into the ground, knocking the wind out of her.

Thinking quickly, Naruko spun the Mastermune over her to intercept any follow up attack. But Kojuro had taken the opportunity to retrieve his nodachi. When she had gotten back to her feet, Kojuro had sheathed the katana, and was holding the nodachi up next to his head with both hands, the blade pointed skywards and the tip pointed towards her. There was a light blue aura surrounding him as his chakra manifested itself.

"Allow me to show you one of my favorite attacks Naruko. Behold!"

"**Hiken: Tsubame Gaeshi! (Swallow Return)" **To Naruko it appeared as if there were suddenly three simultaneous supersonic slashes coming at her, sealing her movements. One was coming from below her aiming to cut her from left hip to right shoulder, one was coming from her right side to her left threatening to cut her in two at the belly, and the last was trying to chop straight down her skull, from head to groin.

They were too fast to avoid, and she wouldn't be able to block them all with just the Mastermune. Her left hand went to her wakizashi as fast as she could while she moved the Mastermune to protect her head and right side. The wakizashi was halfway out of the sheath when the attacks reached her, two of them clanging off the Mastermune, her right arm barely holding up against the power of the strikes. The third attack cut her left hand open, making it bleed profusely, just before her wakizashi reached the attacks trajectory.

All of that in less than a second, and now Kojuro's nodachi, with a slightly bloody edge was held to Naruko's throat.

"You did very well Naruko-Chan. There are very few people who can react properly to my **Tsubame Gaeshi**. You were just a little too slow to succeed. Most don't have the speed to react at all before they've been defeated."

"Winner, Kojuro-Taicho!" The referee announced, before the Samurai broke into a cheers. Moesashi was looking at Naruko in awe. That girl had put up the toughest fight he'd ever seen out of Kojuro and she was only a few years older than he was. And she actually hit him a few times! Konohamaru on the other hand was pouting at her. She wasn't supposed to lose darnit!

Both fighters bowed to each other. "That attack was amazing Kojuro-Sama. I've never seen anything like it before." Naruko said, glancing at the slowly closing gash on her hand.

"It took years of development and training to create that attack. Come, we must see to your wounds. That hand will require stitches."

"No it won't. It's already closing, see?" She showed him the gash. It was already less than half the size since it had been inflicted. "I heal very quickly." Looking at her forehead, the only evidence that she had been injured there was the dried blood, and the bruises on her cheek and neck were actually fading right before Kojuro's eyes.

"That is impressive. And you do indeed deserve the title of Tenjin. So young, yet already so skilled." He led her over to the benches where Konohamaru and Moesashi were still watching them. "Tell me, where did you come across that weapon? I've never seen such a masterpiece before. And I am no stranger to the battlefield."

"Would you believe it came to me in a dream, and then I found it buried in a cave fifty feet underground?" Naruko felt her face heating up again now that the spar was over. _"Damnit! Again!?"_

He gave her an amused and incredulous look. "Seriously? That's kind of odd isn't it?"

"Yup."

"Nee-Chan!" They were interrupted by Konohamaru who jumped at Naruko. She caught him with her left arm, since the Mastermune was still in her right. "You were supposed to win!" He pouted at her, upset that his idol lost.

"Kojuro-Sama is very skilled Ko-Chan. He's the Captain to the Royal Guard for a reason you know. And I got in some good hits of my own. His armor is probably going to need to make a trip to a blacksmith." She said looking at the dent in the abdomen.

"Yes, this'll take our blacksmith at least the rest of the day to hammer out, and I'm going to have a nasty bruise for a few days. So what did you think of the exhibition Moesashi?"

"I'm surprised she was able to touch you at all. She's only a few years older than me, but she's so strong." He looked completely baffled at how she had been able to keep up with Kojuro at all.

"She trains hard, I can tell. It all depends on how much effort you put into your training. And I must confess that I underestimated her initially. Not to mention it's particularly difficult for a man of my size to attack a target so small and fast." He said laughing at himself. "Your training for the day is over Moesashi. I must make a visit to the blacksmith to get my armor repaired." He turned to Naruko, "Thank you for the match Naruko-Chan. It was quite fun." With a bow, Kojuro walked off to find the blacksmith, while he began unbuckling his armor. Naruko was sorely tempted to follow, for a reason she couldn't identify, but held herself back.

She set Konohamaru down, and kept an eye on him as he wandered closer to the Samurai who had resumed their own practice, and took a seat next to Moesashi.

"I hope you're taking your training with Kojuro-Sama seriously my lord. Someday you might be able to fight as well as he can." She replaced the Mastermune's blade covers, and stuck it onto the back of her right shoulder.

"I try to, but I don't like fighting. I much rather read my books." He looked a little ashamed at his admission.

Naruko took a gamble, deciding to ruffle his black hair reassuringly, hoping she wouldn't be arrested for it. "That's good my lord. There's nothing to be ashamed about if that's how you feel. A strong mind and a strong will are more important for a ruler than knowing how to fight. You have loyal retainers and vassals to fight in your stead, like Kojuro-Sama and me."

Moesashi gave her a small smile. "But Kojuro-Sensei is so diligent with his training of me; I don't want to let him down." Good, he didn't seem to be angry at her.

"Now, I've only known him for a few hours, but Kojuro-Sama doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would be disappointed in someone because he didn't like fighting. I'm sure this is all primarily so you can get some exercise and protect yourself as a last resort. In fact, I'm certain that if you actually end up in a fight, he will, on some level, be disappointed in himself that you had to do so."

Naruko was watching Moesashi's dark eyes, looking for that spark that signified the Will of Fire that Konoha so cherished. It looked like there was something there that was trying to catch fire, but it wasn't there yet.

"So what's next on the agenda for Prince Moesashi?"

"Nothing, father's given me the next two days off from lessons to celebrate my birthday."

"Oh yea? And just how old are you turning?"

"Six…Didn't you know that?" Everyone knew that. As the prince of the Land of Fire, he didn't think there was one person who wasn't aware of something like that.

"…Maybe." Her tone clearly indicating that she didn't.

Prince Moesashi was quickly coming to the conclusion that he liked having her around. There weren't many people around who would talk with him so candidly.

"Well, since you don't have anything planned, why don't you come with us into the city? Hokage-Sama has agreed to take Ko-Chan and I to visit the festivities after he's finished meeting with your father. It's awful boring around here for a kid don't ya think?"

Konohamaru's laughter and amazed shouts suddenly reached them. He was clearly enjoying himself watching the Samurai.

"Uhh, well boring for a kid whose been seeing this stuff his entire life. Anyways, what'dya say my lord?"

He looked down at his feet lightly blushing in embarrassment. She was the brightest and most cheerful girl he'd ever met. He mumbled something Naruko couldn't quite make out.

"What was that my lord? You gotta speak up! As the next Daimyo for the Land of Fire, there's little need to be nervous when you speak! You should be brave and have strong convictions!" She clenched her right hand into a fist and grinned at him.

Moesashi gave her a hesitant nod and smile, but was already looking more confident. "I'd like to go with you into the city. But I don't know whether father will allow it."

"I'm sure he won't have any problems. You'll be with the Hokage and his guards after all. C'mon!" She pulled him to his feet, once again hoping she wasn't about to land herself in jail, and called Konohamaru.

"Hey Ko-Chan! Get over here! We're gonna go find Jii-San and see if we can go into the city now!"

He was there in a flash, excited grin plastered to his face. "Woo! Let's go Nee-Chan!" He began pulling her in the complete wrong direction before Naruko just picked him up and went the correct way, Moesashi following quickly.

* * *

They were now in the Great Hall once again, Konohamaru bouncing between he displays.

"So what do you do for fun around here Moesashi?" Konohamaru asked their host.

"I read. There really isn't a lot to do around here outside of my lessons, and Otou-Sama doesn't let me leave the palace without any guards, and they tend to intimidate everyone."

The sound of a door opening drew their attention, as the Hokage, the Daimyo and his advisors left one of the palace's conference rooms.

"Ah, there you two are. I hope you've been staying out of trouble?" The Sandaime asked Naruko who smiled innocently at him.

"Of course. I only got into a fight with Kojuro-Sama. He won by the way. So, I was talking with Prince Moesashi, and since he doesn't have anything else planned for the day I thought we could take him with us into the city once your business was concluded."

The Daimyo's eyes widened in alarm. "You got into a fight with Kojuro? Whatever for dear?" Naruko had to give credit where it's due. He may be spineless, but he's still a pretty nice guy who does care for his country and its people. He just isn't a very inspiring leader. He could be a whole lot worse.

"He was interested in this title some people insist on calling me. My trainer started calling me Naruko the Tenjin because of my talent with blades, and Hokage-Sama let it leak to him. Kojuro-Sama wanted to see what it was all about." She smiled brightly, "And after he fought me himself he said that it fits."

This calmed the Daimyo. What would people think if they heard that his Captain of the Royal Guard was going around attacking little girls?

"I have no problems bringing Moesashi-Kun with us if the Daimyo approves." Sarutobi said looking at the leader of the country.

"You will keep a good eye on him?" At the Hokage's reassuring nod the Daimyo easily agreed. "Very well then, Moesashi may go with you." He reached into one of his sleeves and pulled out a rather large sack of ryo, handing it to Moesashi. "Here you go Moesashi, make sure to have fun and stay close to the Hokage and Naruko-Chan." If the girl had Kojuro's approval, then he would put his trust in her as well.

Moesashi grinned widely. This would be the first time he got to leave the palace without any Samurai guards. "Thank you Otou-Sama, I will!" He stuffed the money in one of his sleeves, before he and Konohamaru grabbed both of Naruko's arms and began dragging her out to the City. Quickly followed by the Hokage and his ANBU.

"We'll be back by six at the latest Daimyo-Sama." Sarutobi called back before they left the door.

"That boy seems more lively than usual…" The Daimyo whispered to himself watching them depart.

* * *

The Sandaime was currently patting himself on the back for his foresight in bringing Naruko along. While she was being dragged from booth to booth by the two young boys, all he had to do was keep them in his sight after handing Konohamaru and Naruko their own packs of spending money. Naruko had tried to refuse, but Hiruzen wouldn't hear of it. It's not like he had to worry about his own finances. Being the Hokage paid very well.

Hiruzen was mildly surprised that Naruko had signed herself up for the Ramen eating tournament with a grand prize of 100k ryo. Personally he thought that was rather exorbitant, but oh well, it wasn't his contest, and he'd even heard of houses being awarded as prizes for eating contests. Although the entrance fee of five thousand ryo made sense with that sort of prize. As far as he was aware Naruko had never even had ramen before, but there was an anticipatory gleam in her eyes when she had done it. The girl did have quite the appetite, so who knows, she might win. But that was still an hour away.

The kids were now playing a fish catching game with paper nets. Neither was doing very well, lacking the necessary finesse. They eventually pestered Naruko into playing, who like any shinobi was very skilled at games of dexterity, and she quickly caught a pair of goldfish for the boys, and they continued exploring.

A man was ringing a bell calling out to the crowd. "Test your strength here! Ring the bell and win a thousand Ryo! Fifty ryo a try!" Sure enough the man's theatrics got the kids attention who demanded Naruko try.

"It wouldn't be fair guys; I'm a lot stronger than the average person." The crowd's shouts of excitement and sympathetic groans of disappointment when the participants failed to ring the bell could be heard in regular bursts. The man in charge spotted them, and believing Naruko would be an easy fifty ryo, he called out to them specifically.

"Come on Ojou-Chan! Just fifty ryo and you can show off to your cute little brothers there."

Konohamaru and Moesashi eagerly pushed her forward. She gave the man a look and then shrugged. She'd tried, but this man was insisting, so she'd play his game and take his money.

Naruko handed over the fifty ryo and took the large hammer he offered her. "If that one's too heavy, we've got another mallet you can use." He was already reaching for it before he finished speaking.

"No, this one will do just fine." She hefted it up to her shoulder effortlessly. "So, just hit the bell and I win a thousand ryo right?"

The man nodded, starting to get nervous. That hammer weighed a good fifty pounds and she didn't seem to be having any trouble handling it. "That's right Ojou-Chan, do your best!"

Naruko reared back, the hammer nearly touching the ground behind her, and carefully swung the hammer so she didn't break anything, and nearly smashed the target lever, sending the iron weight straight to the bell with a loud clang. The crowd cheered for her, ignoring the fact that an eight year old girl had just done what all of the previous grown men had failed to do. They figured the proprietor was just cutting the girl some slack and somehow made it easier for her.

Naruko claimed her prize, grinning unrepentantly at the man. "Thanks mister that was fun! Have a good night!"

Sarutobi laughed at the poor man. Usually shinobi were barred from civilian festival games seeing as how their training made them too easy most of the time, but Naruko was not officially a shinobi yet, and so had no Hitai-ate to warn the venders. It also didn't help them that they kept on picking her out throughout the evening as an easy mark for money, seeing her reluctance to play the games when her 'little brothers' were begging her to.

When Konohamaru and Moesashi went to test their strength, the vender was clearly nervous. He looked at Naruko's benign expression and couldn't figure out whether she was just waiting for him to lose two thousand more ryo, or if she was just the incredibly strong older sister to the boys. To his great relief, the boys couldn't lift the adult mallet, so they had to use the lighter kiddy one. Their attempts fell well short of the bell, not even making it halfway up.

"Aww, Nee-Chan! How'd you do it?"

"The same way I do anything Ko-Chan. Practice and training."

The kids lost interest in the strength game, and ran off towards the food stalls. Naruko followed behind them, placing her prize money into a seal on the inside of her jacket, where she had placed the spending money the Sandaime gave her. Storage seals were so useful it was ridiculous.

By the time she caught up with the pair of energetic kids they were gorging themselves on Taiyaki.

"Try it Nee-Chan!" The pair shoved another piece of the fish shaped pastry into her hands"

"I dunno guys, I do have that ramen eating contest later. Shouldn't I save the room?" She was of course teasing. With her metabolism it'd all be digested well in time for the contest.

"Come on Nee-Chan you have to! It's so good!" Even Moesashi was getting into calling her Nee-Chan now, and they were both giving her puppy dog eyes. She gave in after a few more half hearted excuses and ate the sweet treat, appeasing their need to share the experience with her.

The evening would continue on like this until the ramen eating contest. Sarutobi keeping eye on the three kids, but not actually having to do any of the usual work associated with parents and guardians at a festival, Naruko being pulled around to basically every stall and game there, eventually being pestered to play when the kids couldn't win. Dart games? She could do it blindfolded. Ring toss? Also blindfolded. Memorization? Easy. Even games that had no bearing on skill, focusing completely on luck, 'Which of these one hundred cases has the single winning number?' she got it on her first try, winning ten thousand ryo. It was just too bad she couldn't get into the adult section of the festival where gambling took place. She would probably make a fortune by complete accident. And the venders just didn't seem to learn that they really shouldn't pick her out for their games when she was trying to refuse the two kids with her.

She gathered an impressive collection of grand prizes, amounting to thirty thousand ryo, four massive stuffed animals the size of her torso, a fox, what appeared to be a sea serpent judging by its coloring and the wings on its body, a bear and a lion. She also won several bags of candy which she immediately put in a storage seal away from the sticky fingers of her charges and dozens of toys that would probably break within three days which she distributed to Konohamaru and Moesashi.

Unfortunately Naruko didn't have enough storage seals for everything. She didn't want to keep the stuffed animals in the same seal as her money or candy, but she didn't have any left to designate them to. Luckily for her, the Sandaime was well aware of carrying woes during festivals and gave her one of the spare storage scrolls he carried with him at all times.

Naruko was now sitting at a table with several others, waiting for the ramen eating contest to start. She could already feel her stomach rumbling and her mouth was watering in anticipation.

The Sandaime had taken Konohamaru and Moesashi with him to the spectator area. It struck the kids as odd that so many people were gathered for an event like this. What was so exciting about watching people eat?

There were several hundred contestants, and several hundred high quality stasis and storage seals filled with the comfort food.

The contest began without too much preamble. An announcer came up in front of the participants to explain the events and then they began. It was all very straightforward.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the first annual Ramen Eating Contest of Aka Ippin! Today we have over two hundred participants who will be eating in the hopes of claiming the grand prize of a whopping one hundred thousand ryo! The rules are simple, the participant that eats the most ramen within sixty minutes wins, and anyone who throws up will be disqualified! There are no consolation prizes here folks, so it's all or nothing!"

A hundred volunteer servers placed bowls of ramen in front of the participants. Once everyone had one, the announcer gave the signal to begin, and a large digital timer began counting down. For the next hour the participants would eat. Some would get full and their scores be marked down, some would get sick to their stomach and be disqualified, and a very select few would continue eating at the rapid pace they began the contest with.

Forty minutes into the contest there were three participants left. Naruko, A fat man who could have passed for an Akimichi, and a startlingly small woman. At forty five minutes, the woman quit, at twelve bowls. At fifty five minutes the man quit at fifteen. When the timer rang, Naruko had just finished her twenty third bowl.

The crowd had been cheering, increasingly for Naruko, reaching its peak in volume when she had been the last remaining contestant. Then they grew progressively quieter as she continued feasting, eventually reaching complete stunned silence. The thought running through nearly every mind there? _"But…but how?!"_

The announcer was quick to shake himself out of his stunned state. "Wow! And our winner is…"He quickly scanned through for the number nine, her registration number, "Contestant number nine, Uzumaki Naruko with a staggering twenty three bowls of ramen consumed!"

A pair of attractive girls hauled an ornate, redwood lacquered chest to Naruko's table and plopped it down in front of her, the heavy chest giving a thud.

"Here is your prize, and congratulations Uzumaki-San! We hope we'll see you again next time!"

The crowd gave another round of cheering and began dispersing. The Sandaime picking the two kids up and jumping over the crowd to land next to her.

"That was quite the spectacle Naruko-Chan. Congratulations on winning. What are you going to do with all that money?"

Naruko was leaning back quite happily in her chair and rubbing her belly. "I dunno, I just wanted to eat ramen. I didn't exactly make plans for if I won." She leaned forward to take a closer look at the box. "But this is really nice though. I'll have to make sure to get some endurance and security seals placed on it later. She opened it and took a quick count to make sure it was all there. And it was, but there was no harm in making sure for herself.

"Where did you put it all Nee-Chan?" Moesashi was staring at her wide eyed.

"My stomach Moe-Chan, where else?" If she was going to be claimed as someone's big sister, she reserved the right to come up with utterly humiliating nicknames for them. And no, they weren't going to get her to stop no matter what.

"But a stomach can't hold that much volume! You should have exploded from the amount you ate!"

"The benefits of a very fast and efficient metabolism. So, have you guys gotten enough of the festival yet, or is there still something you want to do?"

Their response was a pair of massive yawns that made the Sandaime tired just watching. "Aha, it must be close to bed time then. And it's not even dark out." Although how they were so tired when they had eaten so much sugar an hour ago confused her.

Naruko picked up her box of prize money and they began the walk back to the palace. Just as they were about to exit Naruko noticed a weapons and armor stand. The sign said they were part of a caravan from the Land of Iron. No one made better metal armor and equipment then the masters of that country.

"Hold on Jii-Chan, I wanna check out that booth over there." She said as she marched over to the stand. Next to it was an older man who seemed to be a retired Samurai showing off some of his wares to a small crowd.

"These Tekko and Suneate are capable of withstanding a full on strike from even the sharpest blade. Allow me to demonstrate."**(1) **The man was wearing a pair of armored gloves, with steel plates on the back of the hands and along the forearms up to the elbows. On his legs there was a set of steel greaves, not dissimilar to what Anko wore, covering his knees, shins, and the tops of his feet.

Konohamaru and Moesashi were wide awake again in the presence of potentially awesome violence.

The demonstrator turned to a pair of young men, probably his apprentices, holding some freshly sharpened katana. At his nod they began swinging at him full force. The man fluidly and easily blocked each strike moving his arms and legs to block the attacks. Sparks were flaring into existence where the metal connected, but there was no visible damage to the plating.

He received some polite applause from the audience, some dropping money into a tip jar. Some made some purchases, but the bulk of the audience drifted away to other stands.

Naruko approached the stand where the demonstrator had just stepped behind. "That was a great demonstration Ojii-San. Can I see some of those gauntlets?"

He smiled kindly at her. "Thank you Ojou-Chan. But aren't you a little young to be handling battle equipment?"

"Maybe, but I'm going to be the most powerful shinobi Konoha's ever seen someday, and I think having equipment like that would be incredibly useful."

The man shrugged a little. It wasn't strange to see a child in training to be a shinobi or a samurai. He reached behind him and grabbed a pair of smaller gauntlets for her to inspect.

"These are so cool. And they can all block blades like you did before?" She was twisting them around in her hands, looking closely at the craftsmanship.

"That's right. I forged these all myself. I would stake my life on each of their quality."

"Do you have anything more flexible around the wrists and fingers? As a shinobi it'd hinder my hand seal creation too much."

The man thought for a moment. "Yes, I believe I do actually. Just a moment." He disappeared into a nearby wagon, shortly exiting it again with a small ornate, black lacquered crate with bronze plates on the edges and light blue, almost white swirls all over it. The crate was just a bit larger than the one Naruko had received her prize money in.

Placing it on the counter, he took the lid off of it. Inside were a set of Tekko, Suneate, and a maintenance and modification pack. The Tekko were Dark purple skin tight fingerless gloves that would stretch up to her elbows. It had less plating around the wrists and no armor over the fingers, allowing optimal flexibility and freedom of hand movement, but there were strong steel plates on the backs of the hands and along the forearms. Naruko remembered Kojuro blocking some of her attacks with his armored forearms in their spar, and knew it would be useful to be able to do that herself.

The Suneate had dark purple straps and padding under the steel plating. It was the same design as had been demonstrated, just in a smaller size. There was no flexibility to be lost with this piece of equipment, and the wearer's knees, shins, and feet would be well protected.

The vender explained that the maintenance and modification pack would allow her to take care of and adjust these pieces as she grew taller and larger.

Naruko wanted these. She wanted them nearly as much as she had wanted to find the Mastermune. "How much for everything here Ojii-San?"

"125,000 Ryo for everything. I know it seems pricey, but all of my products are made with the highest quality materials." Naruko nodded contemplatively. She could easily afford that thanks to her winnings today, and she didn't doubt the man a bit when he said it was high quality, not to mention the inheritance she had coming. But she wanted to be absolutely sure before she made such a large purchase, and luckily, there was someone here who probably had tons of experience with armor like this.

"Would you be offended if I asked someone for a second opinion?"

"Of course not Ojou-Chan. That's a lot of money we're talking about, and the decision shouldn't be made lightly."

Naruko smiled a little wider "Jii-Chan, can I get your opinion on this stuff?" She waved at the Sandaime.

Following Naruko's call, the vender's eyes widened in surprise at seeing the Sandaime Hokage. _This_ was who was going to inspect his products? Well, at least he didn't have to worry about some amateur who had no idea what he was talking about handling his work.

"What is it Naruko-Chan? Did you find something you like?" The Sandaime asked curiously, peering into the case.

"I did, I really want these things, but I want to get your opinion as a shinobi before I decide."

"May I?" The Sandaime asked the vender. At his nod, he carefully lifted each piece from the case, examined it, and returned it to its position. He tested its flexibility, toughness, and weight, and even discovered that they were chakra conductive. This phrase could be misleading sometimes, as chakra could be channeled through any metal. There were just some that were better suited to it, and the metals making up these pieces of armor were quite well suited for it.

"In my professional opinion as a Shinobi, and Sandaime Hokage of Konoha…" He gave a short pause. Never let it be said that Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't know how to be theatrical. "These are absolutely marvelous pieces of armor that any shinobi would be lucky to have."

And just like that Naruko shouted "I'll take them!"

She quickly emptied the 100k from her first box, and then pulled another 25k from the storage seal in her jacket, and handed it all to the vender, who was looking quite proud of the analysis the Sandaime had just given him.

The man quickly counted the money and then instructed Naruko how to equip and un-equip her new armor.

The sleeves of Naruko's burnt orange jacket were now folded up to just above her elbows, so she wouldn't risk tearing her sleeves blocking attacks with her Tekko, and the Suneate were now strapped over the bottom half of her pants. She was looking quite proud of her new equipment.

"So what do I tell people when they ask me who made them Ojii-San?"

"Magoichi Mitsuhide. And you Ojou-Chan?"

"Uzumaki Naruko…The Tenjin as I've been called before. Keep your ears open, you'll start hearing stories about me in a few years." Naruko gave Mitsuhide a confident grin as she sealed her boxes into the scroll containing her new plush toys, and turned just in time to catch Moesashi and Konohamaru as they gushed over her new armor.

"C'mon you two, it's time to go back I think. Tomorrow's the _official_ birthday party for Moe-Chan, and we wouldn't want you two to be falling asleep in the middle of it all."

Magoichi watched her depart. _"I'm sure the stories told about you will be very inspirational Naruko-Chan."_

* * *

**(1) (Tekko = Arm guards)(Suneate = Greaves)**

**Woo! Longest chapter yet! The ideas! They want to be born!**

**I hope the spar with Kojuro was satisfying, but I want to be clear that he's somewhere just a little bit below Kakashi and Zabuza in terms of fighting ability. He was taking it very easy on Naruko.**

**So let me know what you guys think. Feedback, constructive criticism and questions all welcome.**


	8. Back to the Leaf

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Rurouni Kenshin or Chrono Cross. I am writing this purely to see reader reaction and for fun. I make no financial profit doing this.

Chapter 8 – Back to the Leaf

Today is Moesashi's birthday and the Great Hall had been decorated and furnished so the Daimyo could properly celebrate it, complete with huge tables full of gorgeous foods and diplomatic dignitaries trying to curry favor with the current and future Daimyo's of the Land of Fire.

Naruko had attached herself and Konohamaru to Moesashi for the event. She had made considerable progress with Moesashi's strength of will and confidence, especially for just one day's influence, but she still wasn't satisfied with it. She was concerned that without her there keeping an eye on him he would relapse into the apathetic kid she found him as, and that was unacceptable.

After all the obligatory and mind numbingly boring congratulations and well wishes from officials who probably didn't really care at all about Moesashi beyond what he could do for them in the future, the room descended into lots of political talk between the guests and their hosts. Luckily for Naruko's objective, everyone seemed content to leave Moesashi, and by extension her and Konohamaru largely alone while the day dragged on.

Currently she was standing beside Moesashi's throne picking at some of the food on the nearby tables. Konohamaru had claimed a nearby chair and was stuffing his face with everything in his reach.

"So Moe-Chan how did you like the festival yesterday? You were asleep before I thought to ask you yesterday." This was the best play she could make to ignite the will she wanted in him.

Moesashi became more enthusiastic than he'd been since his birthday party started.

"I loved it! That was the most fun I've ever had, and everyone was so happy. Not like what I usually see when I'm out with my guards. I hope we can do it again next year."

Perfect! This was _exactly_ what she had been hoping to hear.

"And all those people were celebrating you, their crown prince. You're so lucky, don't ya think? To have so much loyalty." Moesashi was starting to look a little nervous, so time to change it up.

"You're going to be the most popular Daimyo the country's ever seen. I know you're capable of great things Moe-Chan, and I look forward to seeing it."

"Do you really mean that Nee-Chan?" They really probably shouldn't be addressing each other so familiarly with so many dignitaries around, but whatever. What were they going to do, order the prince to stop? His parents didn't care enough about that sort of thing to make him, not to mention they had become fairly fond of Naruko after seeing how happy their son was the day before, and no one else could possibly get away with it.

"Completely. You just gotta be strong and know what you're working for. What makes a great leader Moe-Chan?" She grinned at him hoping he'd make the connection she was nudging him towards. She couldn't outright tell him the answer or he'd never be as committed to it than if he'd found it himself.

Moesashi looked down at his lap contemplating Naruko's words and applied them to his situation. What is a Daimyo supposed to do? And how should the Daimyo go about accomplishing it? The first answer was simple. Run their country. The second answer was avoiding him, so he considered all of those he considered leaders and what made them so great.

His father was the first that came to mind, but he was having trouble figuring out why he was great. Was he great at all? He hadn't sat in on the conferences his father was obligated to attend very often, but now that he thought about it, his father didn't seem to contribute much. That couldn't be the right way could it?

Next he thought of Kojuro. The man was powerful and when he was nearby the strength of presence he exuded was impossible to miss. He commanded his Samurai with no hesitation and tolerated no insubordination while on duty. His effectiveness was undeniable and the Samurai respected him even more than they did the Daimyo it seemed.

He didn't have much experience with the Hokage, but he was a legendary leader that had stories being told far and wide. He was powerful and dangerous, but kind and much loved by his people. He ignored the physical ability of the man, Naruko had told him it was much more important for a Daimyo to be strong of mind and conviction.

Glancing at her, she was standing patiently with that calm expression like there was nothing in the world that she was worried about. Just being near her like this made him feel calmer. A few more moments later he had his answer.

"I know the answer…" Naruko's left eye opened slightly, watching him out of the corner of her eye and her smile widened.

His father wasn't a very good Daimyo. The realization was somewhat disappointing for the young boy, but he wasn't actually very surprised. He loved his father dearly, but he would be a better ruler than he ever was.

He would be unhesitant and strong in his decisions, and he would demand discipline from his vassals. He would make himself worthy of the respect and love of his people. And he would do everything he could to project and maintain a demeanor that all was well to inspire calm and confidence in his ability.

"A great leader will be able to make decisions quickly. He will have and deserve the love and respect of his people. He will be able to remain calm and inspire confidence." The spark in his eyes had become an ember.

"Very good Moe-Chan. And what motivates a great leader?"

Moesashi didn't even need to think for this answer.

"The well being of his people."

Naruko's smile widened further. _"There it is! That's the fire I want to see in your eyes Moe-Chan."_

Naruko ruffled his hair affectionately, ignoring his protests. "That's right Moe-Chan. I'm proud of you."

Unfortunately for Naruko, one of the dignitaries had spotted this and called out in shocked outrage.

"Girl!" A pudgy brown haired man in red robes shouted at her. "How dare you touch Prince Moesashi in such a manner!?" He began storming over to them angrily.

Naruko froze where she was, keeping her smile in place. On the outside she looked completely calm, but on the inside she was beginning to freak out. _"Oh shit, what do I do now?"_

"Guards, you should seize this girl at once and lock her up!" The Samurai made no move to obey remaining right where they were. This man was severely overstepping his authority.

The out of shape man was about to round on the Samurai when they made no move to apprehend Naruko but was interrupted by Moesashi.

"Chiji Kubo!"**(1) **Moesashi called out firmly, "You overstep your boundaries. This 'girl' is called Uzumaki Naruko, and is counted among my closest and most trusted friends, and the Palace Guard does _not_ answer to you. You will apologize to my friend and I don't want to hear about you trying to order around the guards again."

The man looked positively stunned. This was completely out of character for the Daimyo's son. For the last generation his father had been a weak and incompetent leader. His son had been shaping up to be the same, but now all of a sudden he was like this?

"I, uh, apologize Uzumaki-Dono. I did not realize. Please forgive me." He bowed low, rather impressive for a man of his girth.

"Apology accepted Chiji. You did the right thing when seeing someone you didn't recognize touching the Crown Prince." Naruko gave a huge sigh of relief on the inside. That had been scary.

The Daimyo's advisors were staring shocked. They had all been dreading another weak Daimyo, but in the space of two days it seemed that this blonde girl the Hokage had arrived with had completely turned their prince around.

Once things had settled from that little spectacle, Naruko leaned down and whispered "Thanks for that."

The rest of the evening passed without incident, becoming a little livelier afterwards now that the unspoken volume barrier had been broken by the governor.

* * *

The next morning the group from Konoha gathered at the main gate ready to depart back to Konoha. Kojuro and the Royal Family were there to see them off, and Naruko was once again blushing deeply, and completely unable to figure out why.

"We're glad you were able to make it this year Hiruzen. This year's celebration was the best yet." The Daimyo said, fanning himself lightly.

"And thank you for bringing Naruko-Chan. I can hardly even remember the last time Moesashi-Chan has been so lively." His wife, Madam Shijimi said, then turned to Naruko. Still crushing that brown cat of hers. Naruko didn't know how it was still even alive. "You will be sure to visit wont you dear?"

"Of course Madam Shijimi. I'll make sure to write and visit when I can." Naruko ruffled Moesashi's hair one last time, finally confident that she wouldn't get arrested for doing it, and the group began their departure. "Take care Moe-Chan. We'll see you around okay?"

"You too Nee-Chan. Just watch, I'll become a great ruler someday!"

"Farewell Naruko-Chan. You better be even stronger the next time we meet, because I'll want to test you again!" Kojuro waved at her. Naruko quickly turned to the road now in front of her trying to control and hide the heat in her face.

"For sure Kojuro-Sama. I'll beat you next time!" _"Stupid blush! Go away!"_

* * *

The party from Konoha were about an hour away from the village when a team of ANBU dropped down in front of them.

"Hokage-Sama! We have news." The Sandaime motioned to Naruko to move out of listening distance with Konohamaru before the ANBU could continue.

A few moments later the Sandaime turned to his group. "Back to Konoha, double time!" His eyes brooked no argument, and everyone left at top speed.

Naruko was confused, but she knew better than to interrupt the Hokage right now. He looked like he was ready to tear something or someone into very tiny, very bloody pieces.

They reached the main gates of Konoha in twenty minutes.

"Naruko-Chan, take Konohamaru home. There is business I must attend to. I'm sure Danzo will fill you in later." With no further comment he vanished in a swirl of leaves along with the ANBU operatives.

"What's going on Nee-Chan?" Konohamaru tugged on her jacket.

"Dunno Ko-Chan. But they'll tell us if we need to know. So let's get you home okay?"

Walking Konohamaru to the Sarutobi compound, Naruko noticed everyone they passed seemed very preoccupied, whispering to each other. She managed to catch a little bit here and there. Uchiha, betrayal, death. Things like that. Obviously something huge had happened in the Hokage's absence.

* * *

It was well after dark now and Naruko was still babysitting Konohamaru who had fallen asleep. They were the only ones in the compound at the moment so she couldn't just leave him on his own. She was currently mindlessly flipping through television channels, waiting for anyone to show up so she could go find Danzo and ask him what had happened.

Just as she passed channel thirty for the seventh time she heard the front door open, and in marched the Hokage and Danzo, both grim faced.

"Ko's asleep in his room. So what happened?" She turned the tv off.

The Sandaime let out a huge sigh and collapsed into a large cushiony chair on her left, Danzo taking another opposite from him. "The Uchiha clan has been massacred by Itachi Uchiha. The only survivor was his little brother Sasuke."

Naruko's eyes narrowed. "I know Itachi-San is very skilled, but even so, he killed the _entire_ Uchiha clan by _himself_? That doesn't seem right, even for an S-Class shinobi like him. And no other shinobi, ANBU or otherwise noticed this while it was happening and tried to step in?"

Despite the depressing subject, both Danzo and Sarutobi gave a rueful chuckle. "I told you she wouldn't be so easily convinced Hiruzen. I trained her too well for that."

"Naruko-Chan, I need you to refrain from asking questions about this issue until we are ready for you to know. This is a very delicate issue. Do you understand?"

"Yes Hokage-Sama. I won't pursue the issue." Danzo trusted Naruko greatly, but there are still many things that the fewer people are aware of the better. This was one of them.

"Well, I have news that might cheer you up a little at least Danzo-Sama. The Land of Fire's heir now has a backbone, and the Will of Fire."

Danzo brightened a little bit. "Yes, Hiruzen told me Prince Moesashi had taken a shine to you. You did very well Naruko-Chan." She preened a little under his praise. Danzo didn't often give it, so it was precious every time he did.

* * *

**Time Skip – Age 10**

"Listen up class!" Umino Iruka, a Chuunin with a scar across his nose and his brown hair done up in a pineapple style ponytail shouted, getting the attention of his students. "Today we have a new student joining us." He motioned at the door and Naruko stepped in.

"This is Uzumaki Naruko. She'll be your classmate for the next two years. Please tell us a little about yourself."

"I'm Uzumaki Naruko, I've been home schooled for the last six years, and I like training, getting stronger and hanging out with friends. I dislike betrayers."

"Does anyone have any questions?"

Several hands shot into the air.

"Ino." Iruka pointed at a blonde girl.

"Where did you get those whisker marks? They're adorable!"

"Birthmarks…jealous?" Naruko grinned at her

"A little yea." Ino said, smiling back at her.

"Kiba?" Iruka pointed at a brown haired boy with red triangles on his cheeks and a puppy on his head.

"Are you single?"

"Yes."

"Awesome! Will you go out with me?"

"Nope."

His head crashed into his desk in dismay, the puppy yelping as it fell over the edge and was caught by a purple haired girl with pale eyes. "Why not?!"

"Because I don't know you, and you don't seem to care at all for your partner." She said looking pointedly at the puppy.

Kiba gasped in horror. "Akamaru! Oh I'm so sorry buddy, please forgive me! Ouch!" He had reached over and plucked him from the girl's arms and got his hand bitten by the small white puppy for his troubles.

"Okay, that's enough for now, you can ask Naruko more questions during lunch. Naruko, you can take the seat open next to Chouji." A rotund, friendly looking boy waved at her.

Naruko hopped into her seat and Chouji smiled at her. "I'm Akimichi Chouji, nice to meet you Naruko." He said, offering his hand.

"Nice to meet you too Chouji." She shook his hand.

"Everyone open your books to page seventy three."

She opened her book and knew right away that the next two years were going to be agonizingly boring. She had learned this stuff four years ago.

"_Ugh this is going to suck so much. Stupid Sai-Kun, getting to go on missions already while I have to suffer through this crap."_ She gave a mental sigh,_ "At least my classmates seem nice."_

On Chouji's other side she noticed another boy with black hair who seemed to be falling asleep.

"Are we allowed to do that?" She nudged Chouji and gestured at the sleeping boy with her head.

"Hehe, no, but Shikamaru doesn't care enough to stay awake most of the time. He's the laziest guy you'll ever meet. But don't let that fool you, he's also super smart, so he really doesn't need to pay too much attention."

Four hours of valiantly fighting off the urge to follow Shikamaru's lead brought the day to their lunch period. Everyone piled outside pulling out their bento's, Naruko trudging along half asleep following Shikamaru and Chouji who had invited her to eat with them.

Ino quickly made her way over to them, seeing Naruko's slumped form. "Are you alright Naruko? The lessons weren't that difficult were they?"

"No, you misunderstand Ino. I learned all of this stuff four years ago and I'm going out of my mind with boredom!"

"Four years ago? What kind of homeschooling was this?"

"Well, homeschooling might be too weak of a word for it. Apprenticeship would fit better, I just didn't want the kind of attention introducing myself like that would bring. Elder Danzo took me in when I was four and started me down the path of a Shinobi."

"What are you doing over here Ino, you never eat with us unless it's at one of our barbecues?" Chouji asked

"I want to get to know Naruko of course. I'm the girl that knows everyone in the class after all."

Shikamaru finally showed an interest in Naruko. "You're being trained by Elder Danzo?" Naruko nodded and reached inside her jacket for the seal holding her lunch. In a poof of smoke she had a huge bento, at least three times the size of a normal bento.

"That's right. I was enrolled in the Academy so I could be evaluated for Genin team match ups seeing as how Danzo-Sama doesn't go on missions anymore."

Ino stared wide eyed at her lunch. It was something that she expected and saw from Chouji, but certainly not from another girl.

"You're going to eat all of that? Aren't you worried about getting fat?"

Naruko gave her a dry look. "A shinobi that has to worry about getting fat because they eat too much, is doing it wrong. Well, unless you're aiming for an administrative roll, but even then it really shouldn't be an issue."

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"A proper shinobi should be so physically active, that they can eat as much of whatever food they want and not have to worry about such a thing as getting fat. Not to mention we're still children, so we need more nutrients to grow." Naruko answered between bites. Swallowing a mouthful of sushi, she nodded towards Chouji.

"The Akimichi's are something of an exception because their family techniques revolve around the bursts of energy they can get from their fat."

Chouji was getting a little red from the turn their conversation had taken. "I'm not fat, I'm big boned!"

Naruko blinked in surprise while Ino and Shikamaru cringed. "Uh, I'm sorry Chouji. I didn't mean to offend you. I was just explaining that building up fat shouldn't be something a Shinobi has to worry about. The physical exertion expected of a shinobi should make it impossible for a buildup like that unless it was for a purpose, like your clan does."

Chouji settled down quickly looking somewhat embarrassed. "Sorry Naruko, sometimes I can't control myself when things like weight come up."

"No worries!" Naruko grinned reassuringly, "No harm done."

"How often do you train then Naruko?" Shikamaru spoke up, a rice ball held up to his mouth.

"Every day." She tilted the rest of her bento up, shoveling the last of it into her mouth, chewing and swallowing with a satisfied sigh. "It's my goal to become the most powerful shinobi Konoha's ever seen. So I have to train hard." She glanced at Ino.

"Uh, Ino, that's not all that you're eating is it?" Her lunch had been barely half of the average sized meal.

"Yea it is. Unlike some people," She looked Naruko up and down jealously, "I have to watch what I eat."

"If you exercise more then you can eat whatever you want. And you also get to be a more effective shinobi and therefore make more money. Doesn't that sound good to you Ino?" Hopefully Ino would break out of this mindset quickly. It could very well end up getting her killed in the long run.

"But I have to look good so Sasuke-Kun will notice me! How will I ever get his attention if I'm all sweaty and muscle-y?"

"Well, from what I've seen, guys tend to like seeing girls wet, and no one's saying to go and build up bulky muscles, mine sure aren't. But you can still get stronger without making them too big." Naruko turned her attention to the boys who had settled into cloud watching and pulling out more snacks.

"What do you think guys, are wet and or sweaty girls sexy? And do you prefer a slimmer girl or a more athletic looking girl?"

Both boys froze. What kind of questions were those?! Was this one of those baffling situations where anything they said would doom them?

"Uhhhh." They stalled.

After a moment without getting an answer Ino got impatient. "Well?! Is wet sexy, and do boys prefer slim girls or athletic girls?!"

"Uhhhh."

"I promise no matter what answer you give us we won't be mad at you. This is purely academic." Naruko assured them.

Shikamaru and Chouji still looked spooked, but they eventually answered anyways.

"General rule of thumb for males is that wet or sweaty or glistening is very sexy, and athletic is more desirable." Shikamaru said very carefully, looking like a deer ready to bolt at the slightest provocation.

"There we have it Ino. Straight from the source. So are you going to start eating and exercising properly for a shinobi? I'll tell you right now, it's great being able to eat as much of whatever you want, whenever you want." To reinforce her point she unsealed a bar of chocolate and scarfed it down.

"Maybe." She said contemplatively, not looking very enthused at the prospect of more exercise.

* * *

After another hour of academics the class finally got to the physical training lessons. Today was a series of spars so the instructors could get an understanding for where everyone was at since the month long vacation between years.

Naruko was called in first to spar against Kiba.

"So how about if I win you go out with me?"

Naruko stared at him before shrugging. "If you can beat me, then I'll think about it."

"To your positions!" Iruka called. When they were settled he started the match. "Begin!"

And as fast as the fight had started, it was over. Naruko had blurred straight at Kiba and punched him the face sending him flying outside the ring.

"You gotta be faster than that if you want to think about beating me Kiba." She told him as he sat up holding his head a dazed look in his eyes.

"Winner, Naruko." Iruka sounded as surprised at the quick match as the class looked. He quickly shook himself out of it, checking on Kiba and confirming that he was alright, before calling the next fighters up.

Ino and a pink haired girl wasted no time in reaching Naruko and gushing over her victory. "Naruko that was amazing! That was the fastest fight I've ever seen! And Kiba's one of the classes best hand to hand fighters."

The pink haired girl was no less enthusiastic. "Yea, the match just started and then BAM! Kiba was out! How did you move so fast? I almost couldn't even see you."

"Thanks, but it really wasn't much. I could go even faster than that, and my kicks are a lot more powerful. Umm, I know Ino, but what's your name?"

Ino cut the pinkette off before she could answer. "Oh this is Billboard Brow. She thinks she has a chance at getting Sasuke-Kun, but she really should just give up." She said glaring at her.

"Stuff it Ino Pig! Sasuke-Kun's mine and everyone knows it!" She and Ino seemed to have lightning bolts shooting out of their eyes at each other before she remembered Naruko, who was watching them confusedly.

"Ah! Sorry, I'm Haruno Sakura. Don't pay attention to anything Ino-Pig tells you, Sasuke-Kun is definitely mine." And now she was glaring at Naruko, making her even more confused. "Got it?!"

"Umm, good for you?" She offered another smile to the inexplicably angry girl.

Before things could go any further the next match was announced.

"Next match will be between Sasuke and Chouji." A black haired, black eyed boy with a particularly stoic and unfriendly look on his face joined Chouji in the ring. He was glaring at Naruko for some reason.

Naruko glared right back at him, sending a very small burst of killing intent at him. Sasuke quickly backed off, noticeable paling. She wasn't prepared to let anyone try bullying her.

"Go Sasuke-Kun! Beat Chouji up! You're the best!" Sakura and Ino were shrieking rather unpleasantly on either side of Naruko along with nearly every other girl nearby, so she quickly made her way to the much quieter and more pleasant side the boys were standing on.

"Not going to join all the fangirls crushing on Sasuke?" Shikamaru asked her.

"Is that normal?" She asked pointing at the crowd of prepubescent Kunoichi in training. "Because this seems like the sort of thing that should be discouraged in the Academy."

"Sadly, yes, it is. Some of the instructors have tried to do something, but it never sticks."

The fights continued on the next hour, Naruko taking note on the high profile kids' abilities. Meaning the Clan heirs. Danzo had told her to keep a good eye on and build as much of a rapport with them as possible to extend her influence and contacts. She was in a particularly opportune class, seeing as how there were seven clan heirs here. Seven future clan heads that she could get to know and nudge in directions to grow that would strengthen the village. She had already started on Ino and Chouji, but she wasn't sure how much of it sunk through their heads, if any. Ino didn't seem that convinced earlier by her words.

Sasuke dominated his match with Chouji. The larger boy had plenty of power in his attacks, but they were too straightforward and slow to connect. Sasuke had an impressive level of skill for an Academy student, dodging the attacks and striking at any opening he saw. It took him a while to wear down Chouji's bulk, the extra padding of his fat diminishing most of Sasuke's attacks, but he took him down eventually, much to the delight of the girls, and the agony of everyone else's ears.

Sasuke walked out of the ring smirking at Naruko superiorly, which changed to a look of annoyance when Naruko ignored him in favor of patting Chouji on the back consolingly.

The next match was Ino and Sakura. That had been _painful_ to watch. They both had okay technique, but they were severely under par in the strength and speed categories. If Naruko had fought either of them, she could have just stood still and let them wail on her and she would hardly notice. In fact, from the looks of it, they'd probably just hurt themselves trying to injure her.

Then Hyuuga Hinata, the purple haired girl who had caught Akamaru earlier and Aburame Shino, a boy with a large tan coat with a high collar and brown hair with dark sunglasses on were up. The first thing to notice here was that Hinata was as timid as a rabbit. Her attacks were hesitant and had little substance to them. Her only saving grace was the innate deadliness of the Juken Taijutsu style her family cultivated. But this wasn't enough to net her a victory from Shino. He was quite skilled in Taijutsu, using quick and precise strikes to quickly take Hinata down.

Before Shikamaru's match could start against some clanless boy Naruko had no interest in, he walked out of the ring disqualifying himself. Iruka tried half heartedly to get the lazy boy to fight, but he just kept calling it too troublesome. Eventually Iruka gave up, giving the boy a zero for his lack of performance.

Just as Iruka was going to dismiss the class to go home for the day Sasuke spoke up.

"Iruka-Sensei. I want to fight the new girl." He was glaring at Naruko again, and again Naruko glared back with killing intent. He started shaking very lightly, but managed to keep his glare up this time.

"If Naruko's alright with it, I have no problems with this." Iruka looked at Naruko questioningly.

Naruko shrugged and nodded, stepping back into the ring. She was pretty sure Sasuke wouldn't let it go until he fought her. Then again, she was also pretty sure he wouldn't take losing at all well and would bother her until the end of time trying to get one up on her.

The match began like her fight with Kiba. She shot at Sasuke faster than he could react and punched him in the face. The difference this time was, that Sasuke only stumbled to the edge of the ring, barely keeping himself still in, rather than flying out like Kiba had.

This of course put her firmly on the bad side of every one of Sasuke's fangirls, who began yelling at her. She ignored them and kept her eyes on Sasuke. He had recovered his stance by now and was watching her angrily with a bloody lip.

Naruko stood there, not even bothering to enter a fighting stance waiting to see what he would do. He was nowhere near Lee, Sai or Tenten, and they still hadn't been able to defeat her.

He ran at her and jumped into a side kick. Naruko punched his leg, spinning him in mid air so his back was to her then placed the same hand on his back and simply shoved him out of the ring, landing on his butt with a bruise already forming on his leg where she hit him.

"Winner, Naruko."

But Sasuke didn't seem to hear Iruka, he scrambled to his feet and charged Naruko again, this time staying on the ground so she couldn't push him out so easily. He punched at her as fast as he could, trying to get the satisfaction of hitting her at least once in retribution for that humiliation.

Naruko's palms fluidly stopped each punch. Lee's punches were much faster and had far more power in them than Sasuke's. She caught the next punch aimed at her face, kicked at his right leg forcing him to take a knee, then twisted, throwing Sasuke over her hip, slamming him into the ground. Before he could get his bearings back she rolled him onto his stomach pinning his left arm behind his back with her left, then punched the ground right beside his head with her free hand, burying her knuckles into the dirt right in front of his eyes.

"Were you not paying attention to Iruka-Sensei? The fight's over. You lost." She got up off of Sasuke.

"Is class dismissed Iruka-Sensei?"

"Yes, everyone can go home now!" He called to his students. "That was impressive Naruko. I think we have a new top Taijutsu user in our class."

Sasuke seethed on the ground. This newcomer had come out of nowhere and completely decimated him. How was he ever going to kill his brother when this stupid blonde girl could beat him so easily?

Sakura, Ino, and most of Sasuke's other fangirls had surrounded Naruko by now and were yelling at her for hurting Sasuke.

"What did you do that for!? Sasuke-Kun is the best! You had to have cheated!" Sakura was furious, she was practically spitting fire.

The same for Ino. "You could have hurt Sasuke-Kun you idiot! These are spars, you're not supposed to fight like that!"

Soon enough the girls had worked each other into a frenzy, and before Iruka could do anything to stop it, Sakura tried to punch Naruko.

Reacting faster than anyone expected, Naruko's fist met Sakura's left cheek, her fist moving so fast it reached Sakura before her attack could even extend half way to Naruko. Sakura was knocked to the ground, tears starting to fill her left eye.

"I'll tell everyone right now." Naruko turned slowly so she could get a look at everyone around her. "I don't tolerate attacks on my person or my friends. If you try hitting me, I'll hit right back, and I won't hold back like I did today." She kicked a nearby training log, shattering it into splinters.

The male half of the class cheered her on, with the exception of Sasuke, and the female half backed away fearfully.

This was largely how Naruko's stint in the Konoha Shinobi Academy would go. Academic lessons that would bore her to tears that she eventually gave up and joined Shikamaru in sleeping through, Lunch with the males of the class, subtly pushing them to train more, the girls largely ostracizing her except for Hinata, who was quite possibly the nicest and simultaneously shyest girl she had ever met, and physical lessons that had Sasuke getting more and more jealous of her ability.

"_Just two more years Naruko, and besides, you've already made some new friends." _She thought to herself, looking at Chouji and Shikamaru, and to a much lesser extent Kiba who if anything was fawning over her even more after she kicked his ass.

* * *

**(1) Chiji = Governor**

**Okay, next chapter we finally start the series! I didn't realize how hard it would be writing this chapter! I kept wanting to jump ahead to my other ideas, but I **_**can't**_** because that'd ruin the story! ARGH!**

**I thought about ending the chapter before the time skip, and making that its own chapter, but I thought they'd be too small for that. Let me know if you think I should separate them.**

**So as always, feedback, constructive criticism, and questions welcome!**


	9. Team Placements

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Rurouni Kenshin or Chrono Cross. I am writing this purely to see reader reaction and for fun. I make no financial profit doing this.

Chapter 9 – Team Placements

**Time Skip – Age 12**

Iruka stood with a clipboard at the head of the class next to his assistant-sensei Mizuki. "Okay class, Mizuki and I will be calling you all in alphabetical order to take the final portion of your graduation examinations. You will all be tested individually by us in our office. First up is Aburame Shino."

Shino stood and followed Iruka and Mizuki into their office.

Naruko sat between Chouji and Hinata waiting for her turn. Shikamaru was next to Chouji and Kiba was on the other side of Hinata. She would have a while until she got called. The only student that would be waiting longer than her was Ino. The test would be exceedingly easy for her and her friends. The final test was just a quick **Kawarimi**,** Henge**,and **Bunshin (Clone)**, demonstration. They had already been tested for Taijutsu, Genjutsu, Bukijutsu, and general knowledge.** (1)** Only the Genjutsu test gave her any trouble, but she could reliably dispel most illusions placed on her. Then again, she wouldn't have to worry about it very much seeing as how she had _three_ minds protecting her own. They just made her do it on her own since she wasn't in any danger.

"So are you nervous Hina-Chan?" Naruko had taken Hinata under her wing shortly after enrolling. She couldn't stand to see such a nice girl so painfully shy and timid, so she had worked her magic and had been hammering away at her shell for the last two years. It took her six months to get her to stop stuttering, but after that hurdle had been passed Hinata had been growing nicely, and she had become rather protective of the purple haired girl.

"Just a little. I'm worried we won't be put on the same team."

"Well, everyone loves you Hina-Chan, so no matter what team you're put on you'll have friends." And it was true. Hinata, being the sweet thing she is never failed to remember her classmates' birthdays, and was never mean to anyone. Ever since Naruko had decimated her shell she had become very popular with everyone, doing wonders for her self confidence.

"But I want to be on _your_ team."

Naruko grinned at her. "We can go beg Iruka-Sensei and Jii-Chan afterwards if you want."

Hinata smiled but before she could say anything she was called in for her test. "See you soon Hina-Chan." Naruko waved at her cheerfully. Sure enough, ten minutes later Hinata came back out with her own Hitai-ate tied around her neck.

"So how'd it go?" Naruko asked with a lofty tone indicating she obviously already knew the answer.

Hinata retook her seat next to Naruko. "I passed!" It was amazing to Naruko that Hinata could still get so excited from passing a simple exam. Leftover scars from when she was younger and received so little praise yet so much criticism from her father most likely.

"I knew you could do it Hina-Chan!" So she took it upon herself to make sure Hinata got all the praise she needed from her. As a side benefit, she was closer to the Hyuuga clan heiress than probably anyone else was. She was also probably among the most well connected Genin in the world thanks to her interactions in the last two years. She had worked herself onto the good side of four of the most prominent clans in Konoha, and on top of that she had the favor of the Land of Fire's Royal Family and the Hokage. She was also on better terms with the Aburame than most people, but Shino wasn't social enough for her to become as good a friend with him as the others. But she had put herself on the bad side of the Uchiha and to a much lesser extent the Yamanaka.

A few minutes later, Naruko broke down, asking a question that had been burning in her mind since Chouji had come back out with his Hitai-ate.

"Okay Chouji, I can't take it anymore. Why are you wearing you're Hitai-ate like that?"

The group all looked at her confused. "What do you mean Naruko?"

She gave a frustrated sigh, and ran a hand through her hair. "I mean, why are you wearing panties on your head? Are you trying to tell us something?"

The group was quiet for several moments. Shikamaru, Kiba and Hinata slowly looking at Chouji, as he seemed a bit stunned. "I'm not wearing pa-mphpph!" Naruko quickly covered his mouth before he could humiliate himself, shouting out for the entire class to hear, as Kiba burst into laughter, Shikamaru grinned, and Hinata giggled, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Dude! You totally are!" Kiba slapped his knee in mirth.

Naruko reached into the pouch at her lower back and pulled out a shatter resistant mirror. "Take a look Chouji, and try telling us that again."

"…Okay, maybe I am. I'll change it out later." He said, taking it off, and strapping it to his right shoulder for the time being.

"Good man." Naruko patted his other shoulder.

For the next few hours students would be called in and then they would leave. Some exited with a Konoha Hitai-ate and a grin, and others exited without one and looked on the verge of crying.

"Uzumaki Naruko!" Iruka called out. It was finally her turn.

"See ya in a bit guys." She waved to her friends as she made her way to the office.

* * *

Naruko stood before a table where Iruka and Mizuki had set up.

"Okay Naruko, this is the last portion of your Genin graduation exams. To pass you will need to successfully perform the **Kawarimi**,** Henge**,and** Bunshin**. We'll start with the **Kawarimi** whenever you're ready." Iruka readied his pen and clipboard.

A quick poof and there was a chair where she had been. Naruko walked over to it from where she had taken it from and sat down on it. "Next?" She grinned confidently.

"**Henge**." Mizuki said with a low upset voice, and a glare.

Another poof and the Sandaime was now sitting there. "I would advise that you watch your tone Chuunin. I do not tolerate such behavior." If they didn't know any better, Iruka and Mizuki would completely believe that this was the Sandaime sitting before them.

"Very good Naruko. Please perform the **Bunshin** next."

Naruko ended the transformation. "Just to clarify, it can be any variation of the **Bunshin**?"

Mizuki seized this, admittedly very weak, opportunity to keep Naruko from graduating. "No. It must be the Academy taught **Bunshin**."

"Well if that's the case, then I'll just go directly to _Jii-Chan_ and take it up with him, because I have so much Chakra I was never able to master the base variation." Naruko said, emphasizing her status as the surrogate granddaughter of the Sandaime.

Iruka responded, glaring slightly at Mizuki. "That won't be necessary Naruko, Mizuki is incorrect. Any variation of **Bunshin** will do as long as it's successfully completed."

Naruko nodded her thanks at Iruka and formed a Cross shaped hand seal. **"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."** She decided to show off a bit and filled every space in the room with her clones.

Leaning back in her chair and crossing her right knee over the left and left arm draped over the back of the chair, Naruko looked quite pleased with herself. "So how'd I do?"

* * *

Just as Naruko predicted, she and all of her friends had passed the final exam with no trouble. She now had her very own Hitai-ate wrapped securely around her forehead, her bangs now framing the leaf symbol as well as her face. Her Academy friends had all gone to their homes to celebrate with their families, but she knew her first three friends were waiting at Ichiraku Ramen to celebrate with her.

She made her way over to her favorite place to eat in the village and was quickly spotted by her friends.

"There she is!" Tenten's voice cried out, and Naruko found herself swarmed by Lee, Tenten and Sai.

"Judging by that Hitai-ate I think she passed! Tell me they made you Rookie of the Year!" Tenten had wrapped her arm around the back of Naruko's neck and had pulled her into a semi headlock.

"They're announcing that after the weekend along with teams, but I think we all know who it's going to be."

"Alright Naruko-Chan! You're flames of youth are as bright as the sun itself!" Lee picked up both Naruko and Tenten and spun in a circle, setting them back on their feet.

"We just _had_ to get Gai-Sensei didn't we? Now there's no hope at keeping Lee normal." Tenten said despondently.

"Good job Naruko-Chan." Sai said, slapping her on the back. "You're finally a Genin like us. Took your sweet time getting here though." Sai had been an officially registered shinobi for a year now, having taken the Root graduation test around the same time Lee and Tenten had graduated from the Academy.

"Shut up Sai-Kun! I can still kick your ass!"

"C'mon Naruko-Chan," Tenten pulled her over to the ramen stand and sat her down on her usual stool, taking the stool to her right. "First bowl's on me! One Naruko Special for our newest Genin here Ayame-Chan!"

"Hey, I was going to do that Tenten-Chan." Sai sat down on Naruko's other side.

Tenten grinned, "Too slow Sai-Kun, too slow."

"I'm afraid the both of you are too slow." Ayame set a huge bowl in front of Naruko, whose eyes lit up in glee. "Her first bowl is on the house. Congratulations Naruko-Chan!"

"Thanks Ayame-Chan!" Naruko uttered a quick 'Itadakimasu' and dug in, becoming lost to the world.

"Ah, cheater!" Tenten playfully accused her. "Dibs on second!"

"Third!" Lee shouted from Sai's other side a split second before he did.

"Thir-Damn! You two are always faster than I am." Whenever social conventions like celebrations came up, Tenten and Lee always had a quicker wit then he did.

* * *

Iruka rubbed at his forehead as he considered team recommendations for his class. They were due to the Hokage by noon tomorrow. He had finished placing the majority of his class, but he still had to place Naruko, Hinata, Shino, Sakura, Kiba, and Sasuke.

Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji had already been decided since the day they were all enrolled, it having become tradition in their families to plan their offspring's birth so they would be in the same class, and later on in the same team. Iruka thought that was kind of weird in all honesty. Just how close were the three clans?

Naruko was the wild card. He could honestly place her with just about any team and she would thrive. She was good friends with the male portion of the class, minus Sasuke, and could cow any of the female portion of the class if they got uppity, not to mention that unexplainable ability to instill confidence in those around her and she was a natural leader.

Hinata was almost certain to be placed with Naruko. She had shown large boosts in self confidence once Naruko had gotten a hold of the girl and they worked very well together. Everyone liked her with the exception of Sasuke, who didn't like anyone, but he was fairly certain she would thrive best with Naruko's continued influence. Her father Hiashi had even come to him a little bit after she had started growing in confidence to investigate why, and when Iruka had told him his observations, the man had subtly suggested that they remain together for the foreseeable future.

Shino was similar to Naruko, in that he could be placed with most teams and function pretty well. He was on no one's bad side, though he was a bit of a loner, and he didn't have any problems working in a team. The biggest obstacle for him was that the girls pretty much all had an aversion to him due to his clans bug using abilities.

Sakura was one of his bigger problems. She honestly had few friends, and little practical ability. She was incredibly bright, but that was significantly hindered by her crush on Sasuke. He knew very well that she wanted, and was expecting, to be placed on Sasuke's team by virtue of the fact that she _really_ wanted it, but he couldn't allow that. It would destroy her career as a Kunoichi. Hopefully without him constantly in her sight she would be able to grow out of this infatuation. She also couldn't be placed with Naruko because there was zero chance that they could work together. Ever since the day Naruko arrived and defeated Sasuke in that spar two years ago, she had declared Naruko public enemy number one.

Kiba had good relations with most of the class, Akamaru netting him plenty of attention from the females and being a generally agreeable guy if somewhat boisterous. He had the famed Inuzuka loyalty, so just about wherever he was placed Iruka knew he would be welcome.

Sasuke was his biggest problem. He had no friends, and no desire to work together with anyone and he was quite concerned that Sasuke would doom any attempt at forming a Genin team because of it. His only motivation was getting stronger so he could avenge his clan, and in the process of trying to achieve this he had effectively pushed everyone away. The only ones who would talk to him anymore were his fangirls, but he still completely shunned them. His behavior had only gotten worse since Naruko joined the class, growing more and more jealous every time Naruko proved to be superior to him.

Iruka scrubbed his face with his hands, growling in frustration. He already knew the team Sasuke would have to be on, and he knew no one would like it, including him. Sasuke would have to be placed with Naruko and Hinata. Naruko was the only one in the class who could reliably handle him. It would prolong and probably even fuel his vendetta against the girl, but she could help restrain the boy if and when it became necessary. Sasuke had been designated a flight risk by their psychologists, so having someone other than the Jounin sensei on their team capable of taking him down was very appealing. Of course, that all depended on the team passing their teamwork test.

Hinata was the only girl in the class without any strong direct feelings about the boy. Naruko hates him, but he could trust her to remain professional, and the other girls believe that they love him. Hinata on the other hand, besides disliking his treatment of everyone, would treat him indifferently. The girl just didn't have it in her to hate someone so easily. So she was the least likely to antagonize him. Not to mention she could help keep Naruko from murdering Sasuke when he insisted on pissing her off.

Sakura would have some trouble on a team with Shino and Kiba, who both had little if any respect for her, but it was better than the alternative. Hopefully she could be broken of her current behavior and mindset.

He wasn't completely happy with the teams, but more often than not this type of situation was unavoidable, having a few teams that may crash and burn.

* * *

"Naruko-Chan." Danzo motioned for the blonde to come with him from her room's doorway, drawing her attention away from the book of Fuinjutsu she had been reading. It was Sunday afternoon and Naruko had nothing else to do, Lee, Tenten and Sai having had to attend to missions.

She hopped off her bed and followed him to his office. It was always interesting when she got to go in there. Its walls were full of trophies and souvenirs from past missions, and photographs containing Danzo when he was younger. There were shelves full of books and mementos, and she sometimes wished that Danzo would take the time to explain the stories behind the things he kept.

Danzo sat behind his desk and began filling out some paperwork. "First off, congratulations on passing your graduation exam, and I'm very pleased with the results of your attendance at the Academy. The connections you've built there will be very useful to you."

"Thank you Danzo-Sama. Has anything happened with Mizuki yet?" The man had tried multiple times to sabotage her lessons. Too bad for him, she had already mastered and gone beyond the lessons of the Academy. She had ignored it the first time, gotten suspicious the second, and brought it to Danzo's attention the third time he had tried. Mizuki had been put under surveillance and right now the Hokage was just waiting for Mizuki to really screw up before he apprehended the man.

"The fool tried to steal the Forbidden Scroll from the Hokage Tower. ANBU intercepted him before he could even leave the room with it and he is now being held for questioning."

"Good to hear. So what do ya need Danzo-Sama?"

"I have an assignment for you. Your sensei Iruka recommended that you be placed on a team with the Uchiha."

"What!? I can't work with that prick! Of every single person in our class, he is the _only_ person that I absolutely cannot stand. I mean honestly, you've read his files right? The guy can't handle anything being better than him. He has inferiority _and_ superiority complexes out the wazoo! I cannot trust someone like _him_ to have my back in a fight. At least with his fangirls I'd be able to do something with them over time, but this guy? No way. Can't you get me out of this?"

Danzo narrowed his visible eye at her. "If you are done, I will continue with the assignment and explanation."

Naruko cleared her throat in embarrassment. "Uh, sorry Danzo-Sama. Please continue."

"We are all quite aware of the Uchiha's behavioral and personality problems. I do not expect you to trust the Uchiha, in fact your sensei, the Hokage, and I want you there to keep an eye on the brat. He has been labeled as a high flight risk individual. Because he has the potential to unlock the Sharingan, and revive that bloodline within whatever village he resides, we want as many people on scene that can stop him, just in case he tries to abandon the village."

Naruko relaxed her tense posture, incredibly happy she wasn't expected to get along with Sasuke. She was kind of bummed out that she had to be on his team at all, but the reasoning for it was sound.

"Can I ask who else is going to be on the team? Maybe a certain purple haired, pale eyed clan heiress, hint hint, wink wink?"

Danzo let out an amused sound from his throat. "Yes, Hyuuga Hinata is your third team member."

"_Score!" _Naruko celebrated mentally until Danzo continued.

"And your Jounin sensei will be Hatake Kakashi."

"_Denied!"_ She was going to be taught by the man the Yondaime taught? That might make things very trying. But it was the obvious choice. He was the best suited to be teaching Sasuke how to use the Sharingan if and when it awoke. And he was a very famous and powerful Shinobi, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Hopefully he wasn't the type to brag that he had the Yondaime as a sensei.

But there was another concern she had with the man. He was chronically tardy to everything that wasn't a mission. At this point, only time would tell if he would be an adequate Sensei as he'd never had a Genin team before.

"Alright Danzo-Sama. I'll keep an eye on the little prick. What are the rules for engagement should he try to flee?"

"Capture if possible, but do whatever you can to insure that the Sharingan does not fall into foreign hands."

She gave a salute, "Yes Sir. Anything else Danzo-Sama?"

"That is all, you may go Naruko-Chan."

Naruko turned to leave his office, but remembered something just before she reached the door. "Oh yea! When and where do I go so I can claim my inheritance?"

"The Hokage himself will handle your case. You can see him about it after your first day with your team." Of course, she'd have to pass that teamwork verification test all prospective Genin teams went through. Hopefully Sasuke's attitude wouldn't make it impossible for them to pass.

Naruko nodded. "Thanks Danzo-Sama…uh, any clue when Sai-Kun's due back?"

Danzo looked at her sternly and she gave a playful eep and darted out the door. She knew she wasn't supposed to ask about ongoing Root missions, but Sai was gone an awful lot now, and she'd probably see him even less now that she'd be going on missions herself soon.

* * *

Naruko walked into the Academy dreading having to be on the same team as the Uchiha. At least Hinata would be there for her to talk to. She sat in her usual place between Chouji and Hinata at the back of the room and gave them a cheerful smile.

"Hey guys, ready to get sorted?"

Chouji and Shikamaru shrugged, they already knew very well what their team would be. The only mystery was who their sensei would be.

"Whoa, tone it down there guys. You might get us in trouble with all that excitement." Naruko said dryly, making Chouji chuckle and Shikamaru roll his eyes.

"I'm still worried we're not going to be on the same team! We forgot to talk to Iruka-Sensei and Hokage-Sama about it."

"Calm down there Hina-Chan." Naruko draped her left arm over her shoulders and kicked her feet up onto her desk crossing her right ankle over her left. "I talked to Danzo-Sama, and he told me we were being placed on the same team."

"You already know the teams Naruko? What are they?" Kiba asked her from Hinata's other side.

"Sorry Kiba, I only know my team. Danzo-Sama didn't tell me about any others." Naruko let her head thump into the wall behind her. "On that note, our third teammate is the prick, and our sensei is Hatake Kakashi."

"Oooh!" The boys cringed and groaned in sympathy. "Tough luck. Why'd they match you up with him? Everyone knows you hate each other."

Naruko shrugged, not offering an answer. She couldn't very well tell them about her assignment.

A minute later Sakura and Ino came trying to squeeze through the classroom doorway at the same time.

"Move it Ino-Pig! I got here first!"

"Dream on Billboard Brow! My foot was in the classroom half a second before yours!"

This was sadly a regular occurrence. They would get here at the same time, then argue about it, both try to sit next to Sasuke, who always sat next to a wall so there was only one chair available next to him, which they would fight over, and eventually Iruka would get mad enough to order them to sit away from the Uchiha, leaving him in his own little corner that none of his other fangirls were brave enough to venture and no one else wanted to venture.

Even on their last day in the Academy, the two continued this routine.

Naruko watched with nothing but contempt in her eyes. She had heard about how Sakura had so quickly discarded her friendship with Ino over Sasuke. She couldn't comprehend it. How could anyone so easily throw away something as precious as a friend? And Ino had continued to stagnate as a Kunoichi despite Naruko's attempts in the beginning to change her. Naruko's contempt for her was more personal than it was for Sakura. She knew that Ino would be teamed up with Chouji and Shikamaru, and Naruko was supposed to entrust her friends into that girls care? She knew who she would blame should her friends be injured during a mission.

Iruka appeared moments later getting everyone's attention. "Okay class, listen up…Listen up!" He had to shout in order to get through the cacophony of a room full of kids shouting in excitement.

He paused making sure everyone was paying attention. "…Good. Now, first things first. Mizuki-Sensei will not be joining us today, or likely ever again, because he was dumb enough to try stealing village secrets. Do not follow his example unless you wish to be locked away from the light for the rest of your life." He looked sternly at them.

"Now, I have your team assignments right here, but first, I'm sure you're all curious as to who this year's Rookie is. After tallying up everyone's performances and scores, our winner is Uzumaki Naruko. Congratulations." Iruka tossed a package of high grade kunai, shuriken, and a first aid kit to Naruko as her reward. And set off all of Sasuke's fangirls and his trademark glare and scowl deepening routine while Naruko got congratulations from Hinata and the other males of the class.

She caught it with her right hand and set it on the floor beside her chair to sort and organize it to her liking for later sealing, having no real desire to do it at the moment. She already had all of that stuff in her pouches and seals, but more wouldn't hurt.

Sasuke was again directing his glare at Naruko. In response she calmly and deliberately pulled down her eyelid in his direction.

"Naruko-Chan, you shouldn't do that. It's immature and you'll get dust in your eyes."

"Aww c'mon Hina-Chan, he was asking for it. You know I can't back down from him or he'll get even more insufferable."

"Quiet!" Iruka roared, getting all of the protesting girls to jump in their seats and shut up, looking properly chastised yet still somehow defiant.

"Naruko was the highest scoring and performing student in the class. She's at the top of the scoreboards for Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, and Bukijutsu, and is in the top three for every other subject. Now let's move on to team placement."

Naruto tuned him out until she heard her name. "Team seven will be composed of Hyuuga Hinata, Uchiha Sasuke," All the fangirls tensed, "And Uzumaki Naruko. Ah ah ah ah!" Iruka loudly cut off any protests before they could begin, waving a finger at the class. "These teams were decided on by the Hokage himself and I will hear no protests for reassignment without good reason. And a desire to be on Sasuke's team most certainly does not qualify. Team seven's Jounin sensei will be Hatake Kakashi."

Every fangirl was now glaring at Naruko, so she let out a wave of killing intent, instantly cowing the crowd. Seeing as how her assailants were spread throughout the entire room she couldn't be selective and everyone in front of her got a dose of it. The lessons may have sucked, but the Kyuubi teaching her how to use killing intent was very useful. Although 'lesson' may not be the right description. The damned fox just kept blasting increasing amounts of killing intent at her until she got used to it and figured out how to manage her own. The sadistic bastard. Masa and Mune wouldn't even let her leave her mindscape until she got a decent grasp of it. That had been a long two months in her mindscape, and she still hadn't mastered it.

She glared right back at them and moved her right hand over her heart, unsealing the Mastermune, and then smacked it into her desk with the handle, light enough not to damage it but hard enough that the challenge was clearly delivered.

"If any of you have a problem with me, please, speak up."

"That's enough Naruko." Iruka gave her a stern look.

"I apologize Iruka-Sensei, please continue." She cut off the killing intent but left the Mastermune out. Sasuke was staring at it covetously, he was practically drooling.

"Team eight will be Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba, and Haruno Sakura. Your Jounin sensei will be Yuuhi Kurenai." Shino remained unreadable, Kiba gave a light whine at hearing Sakura's name, and Sakura was hardly even paying attention, looking heartbrokenly at Sasuke.

"Team nine is still in rotation, so team ten will be Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Chouji. Your Jounin sensei will be Sarutobi Asuma."

"Ooh, nice one guys. Asuma-Oji's a pretty damn cool guy."

The team announcements continued until everyone had been sorted, then the Jounin began arriving to pick up their teams. Most of them came immediately after Iruka finished having been waiting in the hall for him to finish. But as was Kakashi's reputation, he didn't bother to show up on time.

They waited there for three more hours before he finally showed up. Naruko continued her self-studies into the art of Fuinjutsu, Hinata a book on medicine, and Sasuke brooded, periodically staring at the Mastermune until Masa and Mune had had enough and asked Naruko to put them back in their seal, making him glare at her. She didn't even bother to look up from her book.

When a man with spiky silver hair, a standard Jounin uniform, a black facemask and his Hitai-ate tilted over his left eye poked his head in the door the three looked over at him. Naruko with her standard smile, Hinata with an openly curious look, and Sasuke glaring.

"First impressions…Happy, Friendly, and Moody." Kakashi said pointing at Naruko, Hinata, and Sasuke respectively. "Meet me up on the roof in five." With that he vanished in a swirl of leaves.

Naruko was tempted to just stay where she was to spite him for making them wait so long, but decided it wouldn't be worth it. She gave a small sigh, grabbed her prize pack, warned Hinata to brace herself, and then **Shunshined** to the roof in the same manner Kakashi did, pulling Hinata along with her. They were now sitting on some steps in front of a bench, which Kakashi was sitting on the backrest of.

Kakashi's visible eye blinked once but his expression gave nothing away. "Well you got here pretty fast. Why didn't you bring Moody?"

"Because we don't like Moody. But I like your nickname for him; I might use it from now on."

"Naruko-Chan, that's mean."

"Would you rather I lie Hina-Chan?"

"Well, no, but still."

Naruko giggled giving Hinata a one armed hug with the arm that was still draped on her shoulders. "Sometimes you can be too nice Hina-Chan. Don't ever change."

Sasuke found his way to the group after another minute of waiting, glaring at Naruko.

Kakashi clapped his hands to get their attention. "Good, now that we're all here we can do introductions. I guess I should go first…My name's Hatake Kakashi, I have no desire to tell you my likes or dislikes…my dreams for the future…hmm…As for hobbies…I have lots of hobbies…"

Hinata blinked, a bit baffled by the man's decision to talk so much yet say so little, Naruko didn't change her expression at all, and Sasuke glared harder.

"You next Happy."

"I'm Uzumaki Naruko, I like training and hanging out with my friends, I hate betrayers and the Yondaime, and I'm going to be the most powerful Shinobi Konoha's ever seen. My current hobby is studying Fuinjutsu." Naruko had managed to get her closest Academy friends together to tell them about the Kyuubi, figuring they should hear it from her than someone else in the future.

Thankfully they had all taken it nearly as well as Sai, Lee and Tenten. Chouji and Hinata were too nice to care, Shikamaru said it was too troublesome to care, and Kiba just said "Ohhh, so _that's_ why you look so foxy." Along with that she revealed her hatred for the man who sealed it in her, keeping their shared blood to herself.

"You hate the Yondaime?" Kakashi asked incredulously. "Why?"

"Why do you think?"

He was silent for a moment staring disconcertedly at her before turning to Hinata. "…Friendly?"

"I'm Hyuuga Hinata, I like being with and helping my friends, I don't like it when people are unnecessarily mean," she looked pointedly at Naruko who grinned unrepentantly, "my dream is to change the Hyuuga clan for the better when I become Clan Head, and I like to press flowers in my spare time."

"Your turn Moody."

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke. I hate a lot of things, and I don't particularly like anything. I don't have a dream because I will make it a reality. I am going to restore my clan and kill a certain someone."

"You do realize that to 'restore your clan' you will have to procreate right?" Naruko spoke up.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Of course I know that idiot." He hissed at her.

"Well then why all the effort to do everything you can to make sure that no one will want to have sex with you? Kind of hard to procreate without a female around."

"Tch, I don't have time for weaklings like them."

"Good, the three of you are all unique and interesting individuals." Kakashi interrupted them before things could get further derailed. "Tomorrow we will be doing a survival exercise."

He paused hoping that one of them would ask him why they were doing another survival exercise on top of the hundreds of exercises they ran in the Academy but they just waited for him to continue. Looks like he'd have to improvise some different theatrics.

"This will be no ordinary exercise. It will be your _official_ Genin test. Only those who pass their Jounin instructors qualification test will be allowed to continue on as real Konoha Shinobi. Those who fail will be sent back to the Academy for remedial lessons."

Hinata had the most visible reaction. "What?! But Kakashi-Sensei, if that's the case then why were we given the final exam in the Academy?" She was clearly distressed at having one of her triumphs devalued.

"Those were just to determine who had the potential to succeed as a Shinobi. Otherwise we'd be wasting precious manpower on futile Genin qualification tests. I'll be the one determining whether you pass or fail tomorrow, so bring yourselves and any equipment you think you'll need to training ground three at six in the morning."

Kakashi stood from his perch, getting ready to leave. "Okay, you're all dismissed. Oh, and you should probably skip breakfast, or you'll just throw it all back up. See ya!" He then vanished in another swirl of leaves, leaving his Genin to stare blankly at the space he had just occupied. Sasuke quickly left to go do whatever he does while Naruko sat there processing Kakashi's suggestion.

"…Well fuck that shit! I don't care what that douche-nozzle says, I'm eating whatever I want for breakfast and he's not stopping me!" Naruko did not take it well when people tried to keep her from eating her three meals a day. "If I throw up then I'll make sure to aim at whatever is making me throw up!" She had stood up and was now pacing back and forth in front of Hinata and was entering full on rant mode now.

"It's okay Naruko-Chan," Hinata said trying to calm her down. "He didn't say it was an order, so you can't get in trouble or anything."

Naruko stood still for a few moments of outraged silence and then rebuilt her expression. "Okay Hina-Chan, let's go get ready for tomorrow. There's no way I'm letting us get stopped here!"

* * *

The three prospective Genin arrived at the training field at six in the morning, hoping Kakashi wouldn't make them wait another three hours. Naruko was betting he would still be late, but maybe he would be more punctual since he was now in charge of a Genin team.

Sadly the three's hopes would go answered, but not in the way they wanted. They found themselves once again resorting to their back up means of killing time as they waited for their sensei. Studying and brooding.

Kakashi showed up in another whirl of leaves _four_ hours late rather than three. Was this going to be his go to entrance and exit whenever he saw them? "Yo!" He eye smiled, "Sorry I'm late. A black cat crossed my path and I had to take the long way around the village."

"…" They all stared at him. Naruko had already been expecting this out of him, Hinata was too nice to yell at him, and Sasuke was just naturally quiet. Kakashi came to the conclusion he wasn't going to have much fun with his antics with this team and this bummed him out.

"…Alrighty then!" He held two silver bells tied with red string up. "Your objective for this exercise is to get these bells from me before times up." He tied them to his waist and then pulled out a small alarm clock from his equipment pouch, setting it on top of one of the nearby training logs. "This clock is set to go off at noon. Anyone without a bell when it rings will not get lunch while I eat mine in front of them and will be sent back to the Academy."

"Hah! Too bad Kakashi-Sensei! Hina-Chan and I ate a huge breakfast!" Naruko yelled triumphantly, pointing at Kakashi. Sasuke glowered angrily; having skipped breakfast like Kakashi told them to.

Hinata raised her hand. "Kakashi-Sensei, what happens after the test for those who pass? I've never heard of a Genin team that didn't have three Genin on it."

Kakashi was getting a little worried about his test, yet hopeful about the team's prospects. These three were not normal! They didn't react to his antics like he wanted them to and they were a lot more perceptive than all the other Genin he'd evaluated. Hinata was currently threatening to completely unravel the purpose of the test without even taking it!

"Those who pass will be placed on already existing teams that are lacking a third Genin for whatever reason."

"But then what's the point of Iruka-Sensei and Hokage-Sama building these teams? From what you're telling us, even if we pass you won't be involved with us at all beyond today. And the entire test goes against one of the primary lessons the Academy drilled into us over and over. That the foundation of Konoha's strength is the ability to work together to overcome obstacles."

Hinata had started off genuinely curious but she was starting to get louder and more outraged now, "Iruka-Sensei went on and on about how the Genin team you're sorted into will be like your family, but you're telling us right now that there's no possible chance that all of us can pass today, so no more than two of us can work together, because the mission you've set out for us precludes that!"

As Hinata continued with her line of thought she was getting progressively angrier, working herself up into a rant. She had been looking forward to her Genin team for a long time, and despite the fact that it included Sasuke who she was less than fond of, it also had Naruko in it, and now Kakashi was saying that it was all going to be taken away.

"_I think she understands the point…" _Kakashi was eyeing her carefully in case the girl decided to attack him.

"Woo! You tell him Hina-Chan!"

"_But even so, can this team work together? The test still needs to be administered."_ Kakashi thought to himself. "Remember what I told you all yesterday. _I'm _the one who decides whether you pass or fail. If you want any chance at victory, you'll have to come at me with the intent to kill. Start!" They had one hour and forty five minutes to show him that they deserved to be Konoha Shinobi.

Having read all of their profiles, he really wasn't sure of their chances. He had no doubt that Naruko and Hinata could work together, but what about Sasuke? Could he and Naruko work past their differences to complete the objective?

* * *

"Alright then, let's get this party started!" Naruko drew the Mastermune from its seal and gave it a quick flourish to psych herself up. Hinata activated her Byakugan and settled into her Juken stance, and Naruko took a few steps forward, placing her closer to Kakashi. Sasuke had immediately dashed away to find a hiding place. Why? She had no idea. Was he not just listening to Hinata go on about the importance of teamwork? And did he honestly think he could hide from one of the villages most powerful Shinobi? Oh well, maybe he'd spot an opening from his hiding spot and do something that qualified as teamwork so they could pass. The purpose of the test really wasn't difficult to figure out especially after Hinata's impassioned diatribe.

"Not going to hide like Moody?"

"What point would that serve? We have to get those bells from you before noon, meaning we have to fight and or outsmart you. And the only possibility we have of beating Sharingan no Kakashi is working together. It'd be better if a certain someone wasn't a total prick and would help us, but I'm not holding my breath on that front." She glared over at the tree she knew Sasuke was hiding in. "We'll just have to manage on our own."

Without further ado Naruko attacked, kicking up the dirt and grass all around Kakashi. "You might regret that whole 'come at me with the intent to kill' thing, Kakashi-Sensei."

"_Just like I thought." _Kakashi's eye darted rapidly around trying to track Naruko. He was tempted to bring out the Sharingan, but he would never live it down if it got out that a fresh Academy graduate had spooked him into using his trump card at the very beginning of a fight, even if that graduate was incredibly skilled and had been training for most of her life. _"I'm not going to get to read my book."_

He crouched into a ready stance making sure to keep track of Sasuke's and Hinata's movements.

Naruko dashed forward attempting a run by slash at the back of his left calf. Kakashi lifted his leg, dirt splashing onto his pants and flak jacket. Noticing a flash of white coming from his right, Kakashi instinctively caught Hinata's palm thrust. Before he could take advantage, Naruko came rushing straight at him, Hinata latching onto his right arm before he could push her away.

Kakashi attempted to use his superior arm strength to simply lift Hinata from the ground to toss her at Naruko, but Hinata had used her chakra to glue her feet to the ground. Thinking quickly he grabbed a kunai from one of his equipment pouches, and parried Naruko's attack.

When Naruko had passed, his Kunai had been cut in half. _"Holy crap! Okay, definitely can't fool around here."_

Sending his own chakra into the ground he pulsed it into a wave, disrupting Hinata's chakra, and lifted her from the ground, chucking the pale eyed girl at the blur known as Naruko, stopping her momentum as she slowed down to catch her.

"Shinobi battle tactics number one, Taijutsu." Kakashi held a hand out towards them made a 'bring it on' gesture.

"Follow me in Hinata." Naruko ran at Kakashi slashing at the strings holding the bells.

Kakashi kicked his left leg out, connecting with the staff portion of the Mastermune and stopping its attack and pushing it away. As the weapon swung away from him he used the force of her attack to give his kick a boost into Naruko's head. She rolled with the blow while ducking, trying to cut into Kakashi's still grounded leg as his kick spun him so his back was facing her, only for Kakashi to make a back flip and land a kick to the top of her head sending her face slamming into the dirt.

At this point Hinata had gotten close enough to engage, launching fast and precise palm and finger strikes at Kakashi.

This fight would be very tricky for Kakashi. With Naruko, she had a double bladed staff that was capable of cutting right through his kunai, at least when she's got her momentum going, and the Hyuuga clan's Taijutsu could be deadly even with just glancing blows. Maybe he _was_ a little hasty in telling them to come at him with the intent to kill.

He knocked a few palm thrusts away by smacking his hands into her wrists before he jumped back away from them. Just before he could land, a brace of kunai and shuriken arced towards him before he replaced himself with a log.

Naruko had just gotten back to her feet and was wiping some dirt from her face when Sasuke was kicked into the clearing, launched from his perch, presumably by Kakashi. Sasuke rolled briefly before he got his feet under him a few feet from Hinata.

"Shinobi battle tactics number two, Genjutsu." The three spun around, hearing Kakashi voice from behind them, his hands together in the rat seal before a wave of leaves erupted out of nowhere.

* * *

Hinata found herself alone in the clearing before a loud crashing sound came from behind her. She spun around to see Naruko being attacked by members of the Hyuuga branch house. She was being beaten bloody and seemed completely incapable of defending herself.

She heard Naruko's screams of pain, making her cringe and cower. What was going on? Why was this happening? It felt like she was forgetting something. Why wasn't she helping her friend? She should be helping. But something in her gut was screaming that something about this was very wrong besides the obvious.

After a few moments she heard Naruko's voice shout out inside her head. _"Genjutsu won't work on me sensei!"_ The test! She quickly formed the ram seal and let out a burst of chakra. "Kai!"

* * *

Sasuke found himself alone in the clearing. He looked around. What was he just doing? He had the feeling that it was really important, but for the life of him he couldn't remember.

Suddenly he heard multiple cracking noises all around him. Looking around he saw multiple bony figures bursting from the earth. Skeletons? _Skeletons_ had just burst from the ground and were now approaching him.

"What the hell is this!?" As if that were a signal, the skeletons all charged him at once. He quickly flew through some hand signs before bringing his left hand up to his lips his index finger and thumb together and took a deep breath.** "Katon: Goukakyou no Jutsu! (Great Fireball)" **Exhaling he released a large fireball from his mouth, pivoting quickly in place, creating a thin wall of fire between him and the skeletons.

Sasuke's mind raced trying to come up with a solution. He had never heard of anything like this happening. What, was he in some bad horror movie now?

Suddenly he felt something heavy collide with him. The next thing he knew, a pretty damn beat up looking Naruko was on the ground next to him blinking rapidly with very dazed and unfocused eyes. Her hands were both held in front of her face as if trying to block a bright light. Looking around he saw a large log with Naruko's weapons impaled deeply into it, a particularly large gash delivered by the Wakizashi. Hinata was now tied up hanging from a tree branch by her hands and was also blinking rapidly.

* * *

Naruko was _supposed_ to have found herself alone in the clearing followed by a pack of giant tigers, but unfortunately for Kakashi, the Kyuubi, Masa and Mune had pretty much instantaneously broke the illusion Kakashi had weaved around her.

Naruko stood there blankly as if she had been successfully caught in the Genjutsu, hoping Kakashi would drop his guard and give her an opening. Kakashi remained alert for a few moments letting his Genjutsu settle before approaching them and unsealing several lengths of rope. He was approaching Hinata first, her being the closest to him, and just as he was about to grab her Naruko attacked, managing to grab the bells before kicking him in the stomach sending him stumbling backwards with a surprised grunt and snapping the strings, with the bells now held firmly in Naruko's fist.

"Genjutsu doesn't work on me sensei!" She shook her right fist, getting a dull clacking noise from the bells. "Looks like I win."

"Kai!"

"And Hina-Chan's rejoined us it seems. Good job Hina-Chan!"

"Watch out!"

When Naruko had taken her eyes off Kakashi to look at Hinata, he had charged and latched onto the wrist of the hand holding the bells and began tightening his hand like a vice. Despite Naruko's robust body composition, her hand was beginning to be forced open by the crushing power of Kakashi's grip. With his other hand and his legs he began wailing on the restrained girl, punching her wherever the Mastermune wasn't there to block and knees landing wherever she left openings in her attempts at retaliating. He used his grip and size advantage on her to keep tugging her off balance so she couldn't effectively kick out with those ridiculously strong legs of hers.

Hinata moved to assist Naruko but Kakashi was clever, strong and skilled enough to keep Naruko between them, making it difficult for her to maneuver the Mastermune for fear of hitting Hinata as well as how close Kakashi was to her.

Just as her hand had been forced open, revealing the bells, Naruko had managed to slash the Mastermune's back blade up in an attempt to slice his chest open. When he dodged she turned the attack into a downwards stab into his right foot, quickly followed by releasing the Mastermune, still buried in his foot, nailing him to the ground and grabbing her wakizashi in a reverse grip, drawing it and swinging upwards in one motion, burying it into his sternum, cutting him open from stomach to chest.

For a moment she and Hinata, who had gasped in horror, were genuinely concerned that she had killed the man as blood gurgled out from behind his mask and gushed down his torso. Then Kakashi turned into a log with her weapons stuck in it, one thick branch nailed to the ground by the Mastermune.

"Ooh, that was vicious Naruko-Chan. I'm really starting to like you girls. Sasuke not so much… He hasn't done much yet has he?" He said, eye smiling at them before turning a much less enthusiastic look towards Sasuke.

"Well we have your bells Sensei, so we pass right?"

"Hmm? My bells?" He looked at them perplexed. "You mean these bells?" He gestured to the bells that he had retied to his waist, the string ends knotted together where they had snapped.

"Huh!?" Naruko opened her right hand revealing two very small flash bombs which then exploded in a very bright light blinding her and Hinata. "Ah!"

Naruko's world had become completely white, unable to see anything. She could hear Hinata crying out in shock and fear as they both stumbled around trying to maintain balance.

She heard another, louder startled cry from Hinata, making her angry at her current helplessness. The next thing she knew a pair of strong hands had grabbed her and she was now flying through the air. It was a pretty scary experience not being able to see and not feeling the ground under her. She could have been falling off a mountain for all she could sense.

She quickly collided with something much softer than she expected before landing on the ground. Hopefully the Kyuubi would be able to restore her sight soon. She was nothing but a target in this condition for someone of Kakashi's caliber.

Unfortunately for her, before her sight recovered she felt the same strong hands grab her again. She tried to punch or kick her assailant but had no luck in landing a hit. She felt herself being dragged backwards before she was roughly shoved against the rough surface of what she was betting was a tree, quickly followed by what felt like a chain wrapping around her several times tying her securely to the tree.

* * *

Sasuke watched as Kakashi walked up to the blonde grabbed her by the shoulders and dragged her struggling form to a tree, shoving her against it before taking out a Manriki Gusari, spinning it a few times to build momentum before whipping it around both Naruko and the tree, pinning her there. **(2)**

"Sasuke!" Kakashi said cheerfully, "You seemed be having some trouble with my little Genjutsu there. Lucky for you Naruko-Chan and I are so nice and decided to help you out of it. You should thank her. If she hadn't been there for me to throw at you, you might still be under."

Sasuke's eyes darted around trying to figure out how he could win. His eyes spotted Naruko's weapons, still lodged in the log. Seeing his chance and his greed for power rearing its head, he dashed over to it as fast as he could, a twisted smile spreading across his face.

He put both hands on the weapons grip and tugged it from the log. The moment he had however a white energy began swirling around it, sending rapid and potent waves of pain through his arms. The Mastermune was not fond of his touch at all.

He quickly dropped the holy weapon, crying out in pain and clutching his arms close to his stomach, curling around them and stumbling backwards. The pain faded after a few moments, and he straightened up and examined his arms. They looked completely unharmed other than the violent and insistent shivering and twitching. It felt like his hands and forearms had been lit on fire and frozen at the same time when he had held the Mastermune.

He glared hatefully at the weapon, now sticking up out of the ground a few feet in front of him. "What the hell was that?! Uzumaki! What did your weapon do to me!?"

"I don't know Uchiha! In case you hadn't noticed, I'm kind of blind right now!" She yelled back at him

"The moment I touched the stupid thing a white energy came out and suddenly my arms were in agony! Explain!"

"Heh, well there's the problem." She huffed condescendingly. "The Mastermune only allows those both it, and I approve of to hold it. _You_ definitely don't fall into that category." Her voice lowered into a growl. "Don't touch my stuff Uchiha, or I'll make you regret it."

Naruko kept blinking; her sight was starting to return by now. She could see some large different colored blurs now, instead of just one white wall. A few more minutes and she'd be good to go.

"I'm curious Sasuke." Kakashi's voice cut in, "Are you going to try at all to get a bell? I'll tell you right now that Naruko-Chan managed to get them both from me for a little bit before I took them back. Quite impressive really. You on the other hand haven't done anything yet for this test."

Kakashi crossed his arms, looking entirely unthreatened by the prospective Genin. "Do something." He said in a dangerous voice.

"I'll show you what I can do." Sasuke growled lowly, once again running through his hand seals and taking in a deep breath. **"Katon: Goukakyou no Jutsu!" **A large fireball was released towards Kakashi, who sank into the ground avoiding it entirely. Sasuke saw none of this, as his field of vision was blocked by his attack.

Just as he cut off the flow of chakra to his technique, Kakashi's hands broke through the ground he was standing on, grabbing his ankles. **"Doton: Shinjuu Zanshuu no Jutsu. (Headhunter)"**

Kakashi quickly pulled Sasuke into the dirt, buried up to his neck, and hopped out from beneath the dirt, turning to look at his work. "Shinobi battle tactics number three, Ninjutsu."

Kakashi noticed the Mastermune shaking lightly in his peripherals. He turned his head just in time to watch the Mastermune seemingly pull itself from the ground and fly towards Naruko. For a second he was worried that it was going to impale the blonde, but it impacted right next to her, cutting through the chains she had been bound with.

Naruko quickly tugged the weapon from the wood and charged at Kakashi. He settled into a ready stance, but was utterly shocked when she changed her path directly for Sasuke, darting around him, kicking up the dirt holding him prisoner until his shoulders were free before grabbing the back of his shirt and hauling him out and onto his feet.

With her standard smile in place, she firmly smacked him on the back, probably leaving a bruise, knocking a bunch of loose dirt from him and sending him stumbling forward, before she darted towards Hinata who had regained her sight and was struggling to free herself now. Naruko jumped up, cut her bonds, caught Hinata before gravity could take her crashing to the ground and set her on her feet before freeing her hands.

"Okay, let's be honest people. It's going to take all three of us to have any chance at winning. Kakashi-Sensei is one of the best shinobi in the entire village. There's no way we'll do this without all of us working together." If Naruko wanted to pass, then she'd have to make an exception this one time and work with Sasuke. Afterwards, once their Genin status had been secured, they could go back to their standard behavior.

"Fine," Sasuke spat out, "Just this once Uzumaki." He was still pissed that her weapon had rejected him. He hadn't even known that could happen.

Naruko approached the log that still held her wakizashi, and picked it up, log still attached while sending her chakra through the blade so it wouldn't break. "We have maybe fifteen minutes left, so we'll have to be fast."

Spinning to build up momentum, she let her chakra burst from the wakizashi's blade, dislodging the log and sending it flying towards Kakashi, then quickly sheathed her sword and went through her hand seals.

"**Futon: Daitoppa!"** sending a strong gust of wind increasing the velocity of the log.

Kakashi ducked under it, the log just brushing the tips of his hair. "Oops! Close one!" He called out teasing them as the log thudded loudly into the dirt a few meters behind him.

He quickly had to bring his arms in front of his face to block a kick Naruko had sent at him. He slid backwards while standing back up, inwardly wincing at the stinging in his arms. Those kicks _hurt_, and it certainly didn't help that she had those greaves on.

Sasuke came up on his right with a jumping spin kick. Using the advantage of his longer legs he kicked Sasuke away before his attack even got close.

Hinata was now behind him jabbing at his back. Kakashi used his right arm to sweep both of her palms away, turning her so her right side was now facing him. Continuing with that movement he crouched into a leg sweep at the back of Hinata's legs while pulling out a kunai and catching the Mastermune several inches from away from his face.

"You're really taking that whole 'come at me with the intent to kill' thing seriously, huh Naruko-Chan?" He said as his hand shook lightly with the strain of holding the weapon back.

"Well Kakashi-Sensei, I figured you knew what you were doing." Naruko was grinning at the masked Cyclops.

"Oops!" Kakashi balanced on his right knee, kicking out with his left leg, hitting Sasuke in the chest, while his right hand caught Hinata's hand darting toward the bells.

Naruko took the opening to thrust kick Kakashi in the chest sending him rolling backwards before he used the momentum to get back to his feet.

Naruko pursued him with a stab, Kakashi pushing it to the side with his right hand before making an elbow strike with the same arm into her face.

Hinata was again striking at him, Kakashi slapping her hands away with his own. He slapped three palms down and away, taking one step back for each before throwing his own palm strike at the girl's forehead knocking her back.

Kakashi then ducked under a barrage of shuriken from Sasuke, who charged and threw a punch. Kakashi caught his fist in his right hand, then hooked Sasuke's knee in the crook of his left elbow. Making an uppercut with his left arm, he connected with Naruko's chin while taking Sasuke's legs out from under him, flipping him onto his back.

Before they could stand to continue their attack, Kakashi jumped onto the nearby river while running through hand seals. **"Suiton: Suiben no Jutsu! (Water Whip)"** Three streams of water jetted from the river, wrapping around the kids. Kakashi made another series of seals. **"Raiton: Migotona Nami no Jutsu! (Stunning Wave)"** Grabbing the three water whips, Kakashi sent a powerful surge of electricity down them, electrocuting his students.

Naruko puffed out of existence once the attack reached her, but Hinata and Sasuke writhed in pain before losing consciousness.

"**Futon: Shinkuha!" **Naruko revealed her presence to Kakashi's left at the rivers shore, swinging the Mastermune in a wide arc in front of her. A blade of wind erupted from the Mastermune's blade, screaming straight at him. Kakashi jumped, avoiding the cutting wave, as it continued on to bisect several trees. **"Futon: Shinkugyoku!"** Kakashi looked back to Naruko from the now devastated trees to see her spit a volley of wind bullets at him.

Thinking quickly, Kakashi substituted himself with one of the trees Naruko had just cut down, using a much larger sum of chakra to drag the much larger object to his position. The tree was quickly perforated by Naruko's attack, branches and chunks of wood being torn off.

As the remains of the tree crashed into the river, being washed downstream with the current, Kakashi popped out of the ground behind Naruko, holding a kunai to her neck. "You're dead!" He said cheerfully just before the clocks alarm went off.

**Insert Line Break**

Kakashi had carried an unconscious Sasuke to the training logs where he had placed his clock, while Naruko carried Hinata. Naruko was pretty confident that the last bit of the test they'd been able to demonstrate enough teamwork to pass.

"Well, guess we need to wake these two up before I can tell you all your results…" Kakashi began dragging Hinata and Sasuke towards the river.

"Hold on! This is actually a good chance for me to practice something. Let me wake them up." Kakashi raised an eyebrow but didn't react otherwise. Just taking a few steps back from unconscious preteens, making a 'go ahead' gesture.

Naruko clapped her hands together as if praying. For a few moments the white energy that had shown itself earlier swirled around Naruko, gathering into a small white ball hovering over Hinata. **"Hijutsu: Fukkatsu. (Revive)" **The ball descended onto Hinata's chest, erupting into several bright waves of light encompassing the girl. Seconds later, Hinata was awake, and being helped to her feet by Naruko. Naruko repeated the process with Sasuke, just not bothering to help him stand.

Her work done, Naruko gave a sigh of relief and doubled over, hands on her knees, and slightly panting. "Jeez, that's tough." Being her prospective Jounin sensei, Kakashi had been allowed to view the files regarding the Mastermune, so he was unsurprised by what had just happened. If Naruko could get faster at doing it, being able to revive an unconscious ally or teammate with a portion of their chakra and health restored would be invaluable in battle.

"Okay kiddies, gather round so I can tell you how you did!"

The three sat with their backs to the training posts nearby, Hinata between Naruko and Sasuke.

"You are all incredibly skilled, especially for your age. I can honestly tell you that I've never been pushed so hard by a newly graduated team of Academy students. I am pleased to tell you, that you're performance, although unacceptable in the beginning, was just barely acceptable at the end." Sasuke and Hinata perked up a bit, but still looked glum overall. They hadn't even managed to take one bell.

Kakashi turned to look at Sasuke. "Sasuke! You're Taijutsu and Ninjutsu were good, but you need to work on your Genjutsu. In a real battle you would have been dead the moment you were caught. You were unable to break yourself free, so an outside influence had to do it for you."

"Hinata!" he turned to the pale eyed girl. "You're Taijutsu has improved quite a bit, judging from the reports I have about you. But you're attacks were still somewhat hesitant. That will get you _and_ your team killed in a battle. Your Genjutsu abilities were acceptable, but I'd like to see more speed in your being able to identify and break free from them."

He turned to the last member of his team. "Naruko! Your speed, power and skill are all astounding. I can't say that I have much bad to say about your performance. In the beginning you seemed completely unable to work together with Sasuke, but at the end it was you who brought the team to work together, although I'm quite certain that if Hinata wasn't here then you wouldn't have bothered."

Kakashi began pacing before them. "In the beginning, I was prepared to fail you all for your performance. Before we even started the test Hinata had discovered the meaning of it, although she may not have realized it at the time. Can you three tell me what it is?"

"Teamwork." Hinata and Naruko said, Sasuke muttering his.

"That's right. Teamwork. The basis for Konoha's strength has always been the capability of its personnel to work together to overcome obstacles. It's true that ninja need well developed individual skills, but the ability to work in a team is more important. Individual actions can lead the team into danger, sometimes death. In Konoha we want all of our teams capable of working together to accomplish the mission with as few casualties as possible. Do any of you know why the test was designed this way? With only two bells?"

Naruko answered, "So you could determine whether we would be able to put personal desires behind the needs of the mission and team. If we were only concerned with our own interests we would never be able to work together. This let you see if we had what it took to put the team before ourselves."

"Very good Naruko-Chan. In the ninja world, those who break the rules are trash. But those who abandon their friends and comrades are worse than trash." He approached them and placed his arm out, gesturing for them to do the same. When everyone's hands were touching his he **Shunshined** them all to a different area. Sasuke stumbled holding a hand to his mouth in nausea.

"Whoops, sorry Sasuke, I should've warned you guys what I was going to do." Although he didn't sound remorseful at all.

Kakashi approached a large stone slab that had names chiseled all over it. There were many stones just like it in the field Kakashi brought them to.

"In every mission we take, we are putting our lives on the line. Every name engraved into these stones are praised as heroes of our village. These men and women are all ninja who were KIA. The names of some of my closest friends are engraved here. I want you three to remember that Konoha Shinobi fight for the comrades at their side, as well as for the village."

The three Genin were silent at the sight of the memorials. Each was clearly well tended to, and had fresh flowers and offerings at their bases.

"That's it for my test. You three have all passed and are now official Genin of Konohagakure! Team 7 will begin taking missions tomorrow!" Kakashi gave them a thumbs up, somewhat reminiscent of Maito Gai's good guy pose.

There in the presence of every Konoha Shinobi who had given their lives in service to their home, Team 7 had graduated to Genin status.

* * *

**(1) Bukijutsu = Weapons Techniques**

**(2) Manriki Gusari = Chain with weights on the ends**

**Woo! That was a long chapter. I thought about cutting it off like three different times, but meh! It just kept coming out.**

**It occurred to me several chapters ago that I should've named the scarecrow Sai and Naruko made 'Mojo'. Those of you familiar with the game Chrono Cross will understand…In fact, I may go back and change that anyways simply because the idea amuses me so much…and he would have a massive nail through the chest holding him up…and perhaps later on he would start dancing around…nah, but the name would still be great.**

**I took out that crap about only nine students being able to graduate to Shinobi status. To me that's just stupid. There **_**have**_** to be more than nine casualties a year between all the mission deaths, deserters, and retiring personnel. Only having nine more Shinobi a year is **_**terrible**_** and unsustainable. Their standing forces would be steadily shrinking in that condition.**

**I had **_**so**_** much trouble maneuvering things so they passed Kakashi's test. Freaking Sasuke! I hate you!**

**I moved the memorial because honestly I find it stupid and crazy to have it sitting in a training field. I mean really, a stray attack or Jutsu could come outta nowhere and destroy the thing.**

**Also, surprise surprise, my brain and fingers have mutinied again! Hinata wasn't supposed to be on Naruko's team, Sakura was! But when I got to the part where Iruka was evaluating them things just happened. You guys are lucky I like what you're doing, Brain and Fingers, or else I'd…uh…delete it and rewrite it…that sounded threatening right? And that it wasn't difficult adjusting things in response. It probably would have been even more difficult to justify Kakashi passing them, so it all works out.**

**So tell me what you thought, feedback, constructive criticism, and questions all welcome, you know the drill!**


	10. Mission to Wave

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Rurouni Kenshin or Chrono Cross. I am writing this purely to see reader reaction and for fun. I make no financial profit doing this.

Chapter 10 – Mission to Wave

It's been nearly a month now since Kakashi had passed Team 7 as an official Genin team for Konoha. Nearly a month of doing D-Rank missions, meaning chores, around the village. Contrary to most, Naruko really didn't mind doing them. Her Shadow Clones, inhuman stamina and speed made what should have been hour long jobs take ten minutes max. The actual Naruko didn't even have to be along to do the mission, and most of the time, she really wasn't. Letting her clones handle things while she went into her mindscape to continue her Jutsu training with Mune.

Painting, trash pickup, training ground cleanup and restoration, babysitting, item pickup and delivery, whatever it was Team 7 did it either faster or better than most. It was even starting to improve overall public opinion of her, which was definitely an unexpected bonus that made her somewhat uneasy. She didn't know how to react to this, having spent her entire life being shunned by the villagers.

Currently they were on their most interesting mission yet. Finding and capturing Madam Shijimi's cat Tora. The Fire Daimyo's wife had arrived in Konoha yesterday evening with her guards and some of the Royal Family's advisors to inspect the village and do other political things Naruko didn't have to worry about. When Tora went missing she had requested Naruko's team specifically for the task, knowing just how fast and clever the girl was.

"Happy in position." Naruko really didn't understand the need for radios and such complicated plans to capture Tora. The brown cat was right there in front of her, she could snatch him up in less than a second if Kakashi would let her.

"Moody in position." She heard Sasuke over the radio. She could practically hear the glower on his face.

"Friendly in position." It had taken them about ten minutes to find the cat in the forests within the village, and that was with the Byakugan. Naruko was happier than ever that Hinata was on her team. She did not like the thought of searching for one specific brown cat that could be anywhere in the village without such an asset available.

"Scarecrow copies, move on three. One...two…three!"

The Genin all launched from their positions, converging on Tora. To all of their great surprise Tora became a blur darting between their clutches, nearly making them collide with each other as they tried to correct their paths. Sasuke managed to grab one of his paws, making the cat turn into something reminiscent of a buzz saw with fur. Judging from the cuts and scratches being opened up all over Sasuke's arms and face, Tora's claws were rather sharp, especially for a housecat.

The surprise clawing made Sasuke yelp in pain and surprise, dropping Tora who quickly dashed away. Hinata intercepted the cat picking it up around its middle. Naruko saw Tora's claws once again reveal themselves and moved quickly, taking the cat from Hinata before it could claw up the girl.

Tora snarled and hissed in displeasure, trying to bury its claws in Naruko's arms. Naruko's Tekko actually let off a few sparks at his insistent clawing before Naruko put a stop to it.

"Oi Tora! Bad boy! Stop that _right now!_" She said in the tone she used whenever Konohamaru and his friends were up to something they shouldn't be, or whenever their babysitting missions required it. Tora quickly ceased his assault, cringing slightly with a pitiful mew.

She turned him so he could see Hinata. "That's Hinata-Chan. She is one of the nicest people on the planet and doesn't deserve to be scratched up like you were about to do." Her voice became much less stern, approving even, "On the other hand," She turned him towards Sasuke who was clutching at his slightly bleeding face and arms. "This is Uchiha Sasuke who is a complete dick and well deserved such retribution." She cradled Tora in her arms, scratching at his ears and getting a purr.

"Shut up Uzumaki! Just heal these up already will ya?"

Normally Naruko would ignore him, but between Hinata's hopeful expression and her need to practice the healing Jutsu taught to her by Mune, she let it go.

Concentrating for a moment, she collecting some holy energy and directed it at Sasuke. **"Hijutsu: Kaifuku Suru. (Recover)"** Before their eyes the scratches and welts sealed and faded. It was sure taking awhile, but her mastery of the healing abilities Mune was teaching her was progressing steadily.

"Better princess?" Naruko asked in a mocking tone.

"Naruko-Chan…" Came Hinata's light rebuff. It had become something of a routine for Team 7. Naruko or Sasuke doing something mean to each other and Hinata trying to make them stop.

"Hn. Let's just go turn in the mission already."

Just then Kakashi dropped down into the clearing they were standing in. "Congratulations guys, only twenty minutes. That's a new record; the fastest time had been forty eight minutes, set a few years ago."

"Well, Tora-Chan's known me for four years now, so we had an edge. So back to the Hokage Tower?"

Kakashi nodded and they quickly made their way to report back in. The closer they got the more agitated Tora became, prompting further petting and a firmer hold from Naruko.

* * *

"Team 7 reporting in. D-Rank to Retrieve Madam Shijimi's cat Tora is a success." Kakashi announced in a somewhat disinterested tone.

The Chuunin on duty all looked at them incredulously. "But you just left not even a half hour ago! How are you done already!?" They looked like they wanted to call bullshit at Kakashi's claim, but the disgruntled looking cat was purring right there in Naruko's arms.

The lead Chuunin shook his head in disbelief and sent one of his men to go inform the Hokage and Madam Shijimi, while he distributed their pay. They weren't waiting for long until the client was bursting her way into the room, rushing straight for Tora who was again trying to scramble his way to freedom.

"Oh there you are Tora-Chan! Mommy was so worried for you when she couldn't find you! Don't you ever run off on your own like that again!" Everyone there watched the poor feline being crushed to the woman's bosom, most feeling like they should be doing something to stop it, while secretly enjoying the sight of one of their most frequent problems being punished.

"And this is the fastest you've ever been found! I knew I had the right idea requesting Naruko-Chan's team." She said patting Naruko's head and surprising everyone at how close the village Jinchuuriki apparently was to their Daimyo's wife.

"Madam Shijimi, can I make a suggestion? I think I may know why Tora-Chan's always running off." Naruko said, her hair slightly pushed over her eyes under the woman's pats.

"Of course Naruko-Chan, I've been wondering this myself for years."

"I think you may not be aware of your own strength Madam Shijimi. Tora is just a tiny cat, and you give him such enthusiastic hugs that I think your unintentionally crushing him."

"Hmm?" Shijimi looked at Tora in her arms and then gasped in horror, realizing for the first time that she might be hurting her precious pet. Tora did indeed look rather miserable now that she took the time to really look at him while he was in her arms. She proceeded to apologize and coo over him unrelentingly, slowly getting the brown cat to relax in her much gentler grasp.

Everyone in the room that wasn't a rookie Genin was now staring at Naruko in complete awe. Kakashi, the Chuunin handling mission distribution and reception, Madam Shijimi's guards, and all the veteran Genin teams had just witnessed Naruko single handedly end the persistent Tora Retrieval mission cycle.

"Bye Madam Shijimi! Tell Moe-Chan I say hi!" Naruko waved goodbye cheerily as the Chuunin doorman dazedly delivered the standard 'thank you for your patronage' spiel.

As soon as the door closed everyone there who didn't have an image to maintain cheered loudly, several Shinobi coming up to Naruko with a pat on the back or shoulder and congratulations and thank you's.

The Genin could only wonder what the heck the big deal was. It certainly didn't seem like anything significant. Later on they would hear horror stories from their fellow rookies and people who had had to retrieve Tora before and learn just why it was so momentous.

"So what now Kakashi-Sensei?"

"Hmm…" Kakashi stroked his masked chin as he considered his team carefully. It was still quite early in the day, just a bit into the afternoon. They could take another D-Rank easily. Hell, they could take like twenty D-Ranks with Naruko's Shadow Clones depending on the mission type. But it had almost been a month of the team doing these chores, so maybe they had settled enough with the team dynamic to move on to C-Ranks.

"Now…" he paused trying to get a rise out of them. It took a few minutes of his silent staring for Hinata to finally react.

"Er, Sensei?"

Inwardly lamenting his collected and patient team he continued. "Now, we go and inform Hokage-Sama that Team 7 is ready to begin taking C-Rank missions."

This got a cheer from Naruko, what qualified for a grin from Sasuke, and a bashful smile from Hinata.

* * *

Team 7 arrived at and was waved into the Hokage's office shortly.

"What can I do for you Kakashi?" The Sandaime looked up from the paperwork he was going over, glasses perched on his nose.

Kakashi gave a lazy salute, "I'm here to report that Team 7 is now available for C-Rank missions, and on that note, request a C-Rank mission. Also, you really missed something down at the Mission Distribution Center a few minutes ago." Kakashi patted Naruko on the head affectionately. "Naruko-Chan has single handedly ended the Tora Retrieval mission cycle. Her influence with Madam Shijimi is surprising."

The Sandaime laughed, "Oh I saw alright. When we were informed that Tora had been retrieved in less than half the time of the previous record, I had to see for my own eyes the results." He gestured towards his Crystal Ball, getting a nod of understanding.

"So, Team 7 is now cleared for C-Ranks." He nodded at one of his aides who found Team 7's file and made a mark in it. "And it just so happens that we have a C-Rank Escort Mission available. Takenaka Tazuna has requested a Shinobi Escort and protection detail against bandits and other unsavory elements for his return trip to the Land of Waves and while he finishes constructing his bridge connecting his country to the Mainland. Eboshi, please retrieve Tazuna-San." Another one of his aides saluted and left.

A short while later an older man with grey hair and a beard, carrying a bottle of Sake walked into the room. Although he looked a bit unkempt, and rough around the edges, he still looked in healthy and fit condition.

"Tazuna-San, this is the team that will be taking on your mission. Hatake Kakashi is one of our villages best Jounin, and his Genin are all very skilled."

Tazuna didn't look impressed. "You're sending these _kids _to protect me? They don't look like much, especially that purple haired girl." Hinata deflated a bit.

Quicker than Tazuna could see Naruko was standing in front of him with a dangerous look on her face, despite the smile.

"You'll take that back Tazuna-San. Hinata-Chan is a very nice person. She is also the heiress of the Hyuuga clan and one of my best friends. Hokage-Sama wasn't kidding when he said we were skilled. The three of us are more than enough to handle any amount of bandits we may come across, and I _do_ mean _any_ amount." No amount of Bandits would be able to threaten someone of Naruko's caliber, not even with massive numbers. Her stamina and Futon techniques would literally shred them all to pieces.

Tazuna gulped. Like most people he had heard of the Hyuuga clan and their fighting prowess. And he had just insulted their Clan Heiress? "Ah, I apologize Hyuuga-Sama! I did not realize, please forgive me!" Tazuna quickly bowed, hoping to get out of this with his head intact.

"Ah, please don't worry Tazuna-San. It's alright; Naruko-Chan's just very protective of her friends." Hinata grabbed Naruko and pulled her away from the man, giving him a reassuring smile.

"See? Nicest person you'll ever meet." Naruko sounded smug.

"I trust that this is satisfactory Tazuna-San?" The Sandaime asked.

"Yes Hokage-Sama." Tazuna turned to his new protectors. "Your job is to protect me on the way back to the Land of Waves and while I finish constructing my bridge. I expect you to lay your lives on the line to keep me safe. Meet me at the main gates tomorrow morning at seven am." Seeing them nod in acceptance and his orders delivered, Tazuna quickly left, taking a pull from his sake bottle.

"Anyone else think he seemed kind of jumpy?" Naruko asked, pointing a thumb over her shoulder at the door.

"A little yes, but it could be nothing. I'm sure whatever comes up Kakashi will be able to handle it, and if he needs to he has means to get word back to the village for reinforcements." If the Sandaime was worried about it, she couldn't tell.

"Alright then team, pack for at least a week and meet at the gates tomorrow morning." Kakashi, Hinata and Sasuke headed for the door, pausing when they realized that Naruko wasn't following. She looked like she was considering something.

"Is there something else you need Naruko-Chan?" Sarutobi looked at her curiously.

Naruko took a deep breath, coming to a decision. "There are two things. I'll get the more pleasant one out of the way first. Since we're going all the way to Wave I want to make a mission request. I want to visit the remains of Uzushiogakure, so after we complete Tazuna's mission I want to hire our team to go and visit it. It's only a day or two's travel from Wave." When she had learned who her mother was she had done some research into the Uzumaki clan. Among other things, she found out that they were the founding family for Uzushiogakure, and she wanted to visit her heritage.

Sarutobi nodded, "I see no trouble with that. That would be a C-Rank mission taking you onto foreign soil, so the mission fee will be 100,000 ryo." Naruko reached into her jacket and unsealed the required amount, handing it to the Chuunin who was writing up the mission contract, signing it where he indicated.

"And what is the other issue you wanted to talk about?"

"I have been thinking about this for the last two weeks. Our first week with Kakashi-Sensei I could let it go, but something needs to be done soon. In our month with him he has had us doing team exercises and missions exclusively. He has done nothing to improve us individually, or taught us anything of use. I don't deny his skill as a Shinobi, or the importance of the exercises, but by now he should be having us on some sort of training regimen, but he doesn't. In addition to this his chronic tardiness is wasting our time. I have approached him several times about this, but he has waved away my concerns, telling me that we are progressing just fine. As a Shinobi he is impeccable, but as a sensei he is less than useless, hindering our growth. It is my opinion that he is unsuited to be teaching a Genin squad."

Kakashi was looking at her rather hurt at the harsh critique. "I'm sorry Kakashi-Sensei, but this is what I believe." The plastic smile on her face only made it hurt more. Sasuke actually nodded in agreement with her, further hurting Kakashi. The two almost never agreed on anything, and for them to do so on this made it difficult to argue against.

"Naruko-Chan! You shouldn't say such things about Kakashi-Sensei." Hinata tried to defend him, but it was clear that she believed the same as her teammates. She couldn't even bring herself to look at him.

"I see." The Sandaime had a serious expression on his face, so different from the kind old man it usually displayed. "Jounin Kakashi," He straightened up instinctively. "If by one month after your team has returned from its missions, and as long as all members are in able-bodied condition, you have not improved sufficiently as a Sensei, I will be forced to remove you from Jounin Sensei status and place Team 7 under someone more qualified to train them." He couldn't allow a team as talented as this to be under a sensei that couldn't or wouldn't train them properly.

"Yes Hokage-Sama." Kakashi's eye was unreadable as he stood at attention. Naruko felt bad for doing this. Kakashi had shown himself to be a pretty cool guy, and she knew that in a fight she could trust him to have her back, but they could not afford to have a sub-par sensei.

"Dismissed."

Team 7 exited the Hokage's office far more subdued then when they entered.

"Be at the gates tomorrow morning." Kakashi didn't look at them, keeping his voice level, before vanishing.

"I feel terrible. Kakashi-Sensei must be so sad." The only one in more distress than Hinata could have been Kakashi, but even that was uncertain.

"Nothing Uzumaki said was wrong. Kakashi-Sensei hasn't been training us adequately." They were still far from getting along. But Naruko and Sasuke were no longer at each other's throats just because they were in hearing distance of each other.

"I didn't like it Hina-Chan, but we can't risk subpar tutelage. This is life and death. If Kakashi-Sensei is unable to prepare us for that, then we need someone else. Just because someone is great at something, does not mean they are suited for passing that greatness along. Now c'mon, you need to go inform your father of the mission and get ready." She ushered Hinata towards the Hyuuga compound before heading off towards the Shimura compound to inform Danzo and prep her own equipment.

* * *

The Genin of Team 7 arrived at the main gates ten minutes early and settled into some of the benches provided to wait. Ten minutes later Kakashi arrived with their client in tow.

"Good morning Team. If everyone's ready then we should get going." He seemed to be ignoring the incident in the Hokage's office for now.

The three nodded at their sensei and they departed without delay. It would take them about a week to reach Wave at a civilian pace, so once Kakashi had directed them into formation, Naruko out in front, Sasuke and Hinata to either side of Tazuna and Kakashi bringing up the rear, they settled in for a long walk.

Kakashi had his nose buried in his book as he could be found doing so often. The three Genin just enjoyed the peaceful walk, keeping an eye out for anything amiss.

The day was uneventful. They passed a few groups of other travelers and the occasional merchant, but largely they were by themselves. When the sun began setting they stopped to make camp, dividing the chores among the Genin.

The group didn't bother setting up their tents; the weather was dry and warm enough that they didn't need them, so the majority of their set up was digging a fire pit and setting up perimeter traps and alarms.

Naruko's nights would consist of studying her mother's sealing notes. Her mother had inherited the famed Uzumaki Fuinjutsu talent, and Naruko was hoping that she had as well. She had found her mother's notes in a sealed office in the basement of the cottage she'd claimed soon after becoming a Genin.

* * *

*****Flashback*****

_Naruko unlocked the door to her new house. Upon opening it the sealing grid flashed into sight then faded away, signaling its dormancy. A gust of stale air whooshed out, carrying a small cloud of dust with it, brushing past Naruko and Sai. This was the first time in twelve years that the doors to this place had been opened._

"_Well, let's see what we have here." Naruko and Sai explored the cottage. It was bigger on the inside than the outside would lead you to believe._

_The ground level had four rooms. A large kitchen with an island in the middle of it, and a square wooden table off to the side with four chairs around it, a medium sized guest room, a large living room, and a small bathroom. Opening the fridge had been a mistake, releasing a burst of foul air from all the spoiled goods within it. Naruko wouldn't be keeping this thing. It was now severely outdated and she really didn't want to deal with cleaning it out. It'd probably be impossible to get the smell to go away, having been festering for twelve years._

_The second level had another four rooms. The master bedroom with adjoining bathroom, which she steadfastly ignored the fact that she could very well have been conceived in, a room that had clearly been made up for a baby, with lots of soft pastel colors, stuffed animals, a crib and all sorts of other baby care products, which had clearly been meant to be her room, a bathroom across the hall from it which probably would have been her bathroom, and an office that had probably belonged to her father. In the office she found a picture of her father's Genin team. There was a brown haired girl with purple rectangles tattooed on her cheeks, a black haired boy with orange goggles, and a much younger Kakashi-Sensei._

_She lingered in what would have been her room for nearly fifteen minutes, wondering at what could have been, picking up a stuffed teddy bear, brushing off the dust coating it. Sai's silent support was greatly appreciated. She'd make sure to bring her other friends here someday, but they were on missions currently. The old pangs of wishing she had parents to take care of her returned with a vengeance._

_She eventually replaced the bear where it had been set in the crib, and they headed into the basement. Here they would find the most valuable stuff. There were two more offices, both with very complex security sealing arrays, even more powerful than what had been around the house. From what the Sandaime had told her, she could open them by smearing some of her blood on the seal and channeling some of her chakra through it. When she left she could lock them up again with the same process._

_The first of the offices they entered had belonged to the Yondaime and was full of Jutsu scrolls, sealing notes, and weapons and equipment stores. The desk was cluttered; several mugs around that judging from the residue probably had held coffee, multiple scrolls were laid out full of notes for constructing a new seal. The seal that was currently on her navel, holding back the Kyuubi. He had clearly been in a hurry the last time he was in there. Compared to the rest of the house this room was a mess. On one of the walls was a copy of the picture depicting the Yondaime's Genin team._

_The other office belonged to her mother. It was much neater than the last one, but her mother didn't have too much use for it in her pregnant state she imagined. There were a bunch of baby raising and parenting books on the desk, with pink tabs sticking out of the pages where her mother had made notes. There were several shelves full of Uzumaki Fuinjutsu scrolls, most, if not all of which she had probably inherited from Uzumaki Mito, the Shodai's wife and the Kyuubi's first Jinchuuriki. Naruko intended to carry on the Uzumaki Fuinjutsu legacy since she now had the chance to. Before she and Sai left, she grabbed the beginner scrolls and her mother's separate notebooks on them._

_Other than the offices, the basement held a massive storage room, full of crates that Naruko would have to take inventory of. She was happy to note that Stasis seals had been applied to the whole room, so if there was anything perishable in there they should still be edible._

_Next to it was a simple laundry room, containing outdated washing and drying machines. She was relieved to see that there weren't any old dirty clothes there._

_Next there was another set of stairs leading further down. This brought the two into a huge underground training area, full of training equipment, sparring areas, and what looked like a jutsu firing range, with chakra absorbing seal arrays painted all over the walls. This would be pretty cool if she ever had a desire to try it out._

_Having seen everything, Sai and Naruko left, with her leaving a small legion of clones to clean the place up, and take inventory, noting what had to be replaced and whatnot. Her wind techniques were already coming in very handy, seeing clouds of dust being blasted out the doors and windows. She vaguely wished that she could have been friends with Sakura and Ino, they seemed like they would know a thing or two about interior redecorating. Not that she intended to move out of the Shimura compound for awhile at least._

*****End Flashback*****

* * *

This was how the next five days would pass for the group. Long walks towards Wave with occasional breaks, making camp at sunset, and continuing on the next day.

The sixth day, when they were about to cross the border, was when things got interesting. A few hours into the day they passed by a large puddle on the side of the road. Naruko glanced at it curiously and then looked at the sky. It hadn't rained in weeks, how did it get there?

"_It's a Genjutsu."_ She heard Masa speak up in her mind. _"There are two Shinobi lying in that puddle. Be on your guard."_

Moments after the group had passed the puddle the ninja in wait launched their attack. In their opening move they had surrounded Kakashi with a spiked chain connecting their massive, clawed gauntlets together. With a swift and practiced movement Kakashi was torn into pieces and the two Mist Ninja, judging from their Hitai-ate were moving on to their next target, Hinata.

Reacting quickly, Hinata had placed herself between them and Tazuna, taking up the Juken stance. Before either of them reached her Sasuke and Naruko intercepted the pair. Sasuke landed on one of their gauntlets and smashed his right foot onto the re-breather over his face, creating a web of cracks. Naruko rammed into her target fist first, her hand sinking into his gut all the way to the wrist. The man clutched at his stomach with his non gauntleted hand as he took several slow steps backwards accompanied by pained and strained groaning.

The enemy Sasuke attacked disengaged the mechanism holding his end of the spiked chain and began attacking Sasuke. He punched at the boy perched on his gauntlet, getting him to jump off and began slashing at him with his claws. Sasuke was backpedalling, keeping away from the blades. It didn't take long to spot an opening. Sasuke rolled under a horizontal strike aimed at his head while drawing a kunai and digging a gash into the man's left thigh. But Sasuke wasn't his objective apparently, as the ninja continued with his attacks momentum and charged straight for Hinata and the bridge builder.

As soon as he noticed the slack on the spiked chain, Naruko's opponent began whipping it around, lashing at Naruko, who bobbed and weaved her way around the assault. After a few strikes, the man turned his attention to a scared Tazuna whipping the chain back, preparing to assault the bridge builder. Before the Mist ninja could complete his swing, Naruko kicked the arm rearing back, making the man spin in a circle and wrapping him in his own weapon. He quickly disengaged his end of the chain, hoping the weapon would fall to the ground, but before that could happen Naruko swept his feet out from under him, pulled two kunai from her pouches and nailed them through the holes linking the chains together, pinning the man down. He became very still, lying on a rope of chained spikes was probably very uncomfortable, and glared angrily at the blonde.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw a black blur race towards Hinata and Tazuna. Turning she spotted the second enemy, blood flowing freely down his leg as he determinedly attacked, his eyes glued to Tazuna. Sasuke was chasing behind him, but he wouldn't be able to catch him before he reached Hinata.

Just before he reached striking distance, he was stopped cold by Kakashi reappearing, catching the man's throat in the crook of his elbow. His own speed and weight nearly breaking his neck at the abrupt stop, sending him into unconsciousness.

"Yo!" Kakashi said with an eye smile.

"Kakashi-Sensei! You're alright!" Hinata said, looking greatly relieved.

"Show off." Sasuke grunted.

Naruko remained with her restrained opponent, stripping him of his equipment and weapons. "Took ya long enough Sensei. The fight was already pretty much over."

"…I think Hinata-Chan's my favorite. You two are so mean to me." Kakashi said playfully overdramatic, before tossing the enemy ninja to Naruko, wordlessly telling her to restrain him.

"So Tazuna-San." Kakashi turned to their client, "Care to tell me why these two were targeting you? And why you lied to our village about the mission parameters?" Kakashi's eyes had become hard. Konoha had lost teams before due to faulty mission info, and the possibility of enemy ninja involvement had not been mentioned. It was possible that this was just a freak occurrence, but it was far more likely that Tazuna had lied about the mission details.

"This is a mission that's above a C-Rank. I'm sure that you have your reasons, but lying to us about the details makes things dangerous for everyone. Those two are missing-nin known by the title 'Demon Brothers'. They have a reputation for being unrelenting and focused in their attacks. You could have gotten my team killed."

Tazuna gave a resigned sigh. "The Land of Waves is very poor. Not even our Daimyo has very much money. It is currently in the grips of a man named Gato, president of Gato Industries. Through various means, he has managed to gain complete control of the surrounding waters and sea traffic, giving him effective control of the country. My bridge is the only thing that stands to break his strangle hold on our country, and Gato is targeting me because of it." Tazuna got down on his knees and touched his forehead to the ground. "I beg of you, do not abandon me. This is our only hope!"

Creating a six person Shadow Clone squad to keep watch over their prisoners and after stripping them of their equipment, Naruko made her way back over to the group.

"Jeez Tazuna-San. From what you've just told us, you're talking about the liberation of a country! That's an A-Rank mission!" Naruko stopped on Kakashi's right, staring down at the prostrate man. "And you must never have heard about a little something known as a 'payment plan'. There really aren't many people who pay the whole mission fee upfront you know. Most pay in installments, and Hokage-Sama's a sympathetic man, he wouldn't have turned you down."

Naruko was sensing some pretty awesome opportunities here. Free the Land of Waves from a tyrant for her first real mission outside of the village, skyrocketing her reputation with some cleverly placed **Henge'd** **Kage Bunshin **to seed the title of Tenjin among the people around, a chance to secure some prime trade and travel agreements between Fire and Wave, and improve their image with the entire country, endearing Konoha to them, making it very likely that they'd come to Konoha with most, if not all, of their future mission needs.

"Ordinarily this would be grounds for terminating the mission." Kakashi said, making Tazuna grow hopeful. "But I think I'll let my team decide."

"I say we keep going! We're only a few hours out from Wave, and connecting Wave with the mainland will benefit our country as well. And this would give us some bonus points with Wave to establish trade agreements, right Tazuna-San?" Naruko looked at the man, who had by now risen to his knees. Naruko was very careful to avoid phrases like 'leverage' and 'they'll owe us'. She didn't want to upset the man. He would have quite a bit of influence in Wave if this bridge of his worked out. And if by chance they had to take out Gato in the course of the mission, they could make a massive profit, taking control of his wares and assets. Some of course would be donated to Wave rebuild what had to have been lost to Gato's machinations, but Gato is a _very_ wealthy man.

"Ah, of course! If you help me finish the bridge, I'm certain that everyone in the country will be honored and eager to reestablish connections with Fire." Once Gato had come into control, he had cut off most foreign contact so he could solidify his hold on the country.

"Yes! If they need our help, then we should give it to them." Hinata looked a little scared, but determined nonetheless.

"This will be a good chance to see just how strong we are." Sasuke smirked. Of course he'd go straight to that detail.

"I guess today's your lucky day Tazuna. My team is a lot nicer than I would've been. Let's keep going then, we can probably reach Wave before dark. Leave the Mist-nin here; some Hunters will be along eventually to grab them. Can you maintain your clones to keep watch Naruko-Chan?"

"Not a problem Kakashi-Sensei."

* * *

An hour after they continued, Naruko jerked and came to a halt, looking back the way they had come from.

"Something just took out my clones. I didn't get a good look, just a blur of blue and black. Whatever it was took them out before they even knew what was happening."

"Hmm, then we'll probably be seeing the Demon Brothers again before this mission is over. Keep on your guard everyone." Kakashi maintained a nonchalant mood.

Things were uneventful until they reached the shore where they would cross into Wave on a small ferry. The waters were very foggy, making it difficult to see very far ahead of them.

"We're about to come up next to the bridge." Tazuna whispered at the back of the boat. Sure enough, a few moments later they could see the massive structure of the stone and steel bridge in construction.

"Wow old man, that's certainly impressive. On par with the Hokage monument I'd say." Naruko commented quietly with a low whistle.

"That's amazing, how much longer do you think it'll take to complete?" Hinata turned to the bridge builder.

"Not much longer. Maybe another month. We've been constructing it for a couple of years now. Gato's been trying to stop us, but everyone involved is determined to finish it."

It took another forty minutes in the ferry to reach the shore. Tazuna thanked the ferry and they continued on to his house. The fog quickly thinned out, revealing the dirt pathway and the trees on either side.

It wasn't long before things got exciting again. Kakashi noticed something a split second before Naruko did, "Down!" He tackled Hinata and Tazuna to the ground, while Naruko and Sasuke ducked.

A massive sword spun over the group from behind, its momentum taking it up into the air where it lodged into a tree, a very tall shirtless man appearing on top of it in moments. He had tanned, leathery looking skin, and large muscles. He would have to be very strong to wield a weapon like the one he was currently perched on. Tilted on his head, he had a slashed out Kiri Hitai-ate, indicating his status as a missing-nin.

"Well well, you're Momochi Zabuza, missing-nin of Kirigakure and a former member of Kiri's Seven Swordsmen. What could you be doing here?" Kakashi sounded as if the man hadn't just tried to cleave them all in two a moment ago.

"I'm here for the bridge builder. Hand him over and you and your team can go." His voice was gruff as he glared down at them.

"We can't do that. You see, it's our mission to protect the bridge builder. If you want him," Kakashi tilted his Hitai-ate up, revealing his left eye. "You'll have to go through me first."

"The Sharingan so early? I'm honored."

"Protect Tazuna, let me handle this guy. He's too much for you right now. This is the teamwork needed in this situation."

The Genin quickly formed a perimeter around Tazuna, keeping watch for any threats.

"I didn't think it would be so simple. So be it." Mist quickly began pouring in from all the water surrounding them, reducing visibility severely. Hinata activated her Byakugan, keeping a look out.

Zabuza grabbed the handle of his sword, yanking it from the tree and placing it on his back, and jumped down onto the lake in front of Team 7, his left arm raised high and his right arm in a half ram seal in front of his jaw.

"**Ninpo: Kirigakure no Jutsu (Hidden Mist)" **The mist became so thick they could hardly see their hands in front of their faces.

Kakashi placed himself about a meter in front of his team, trying to determine where Zabuza would strike from. "Hinata, keep a careful watch." He didn't give any explicit instructions, hoping to minimize the threat to her. If Zabuza knew there was a Hyuuga with an awakened Byakugan among them, he would target her first.

"Eight points." Zabuza's voice echoed around them. "Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular vein, collarbone, kidney, heart. Which vital organ will I strike first?" His killing intent leaked all around them. Naruko and Kakashi noticing Hinata and Sasuke tensing. But as an unexpected benefit, Naruko's use of her own KI during their Academy days had built up some immunity for them. To Naruko it was like a rabbit was trying to gnaw on her finger. It would take a lot more than this to affect her after the Kyuubi's preparations.

Naruko spoke in a deadpan tone as she slowly formed some seals, "Oh no, the mist is so thick I can't see. Whatever will I-**Daitoppa!**" There was an abrupt increase in her volume when she announced her Jutsu. She dumped a large amount of chakra into her technique making it more powerful, building a huge gust of wind behind Team 7 clearing all the mist easily and restoring their vision. One of the things they could see was a now very annoyed Zabuza, who had been sneaking around behind them.

"Oh nooooo, what happened?" She asked in her most mocking tone, as if speaking to a child who was crying over a broken toy or skinned knee. "Did the wind blow away your mist?" A moment later Sasuke let out a snort of laughter while Hinata tried to stifle her giggling. Naruko quickly unsealed the Mastermune when Zabuza growled and charged.

Kakashi met his charge head on, his kunai impaling the Kiri-nin's stomach, before he collapsed, turning into a puddle of water.

Another Zabuza jumped from the trees, bringing his sword the Kubikiribocho cleaving down on Kakashi, the top foot of the blade impaling the ground as the two halves of Kakashi fell to either side, before turning into their own puddles of water. Another Kakashi appeared behind Zabuza holding a kunai to his neck.

"It's over. Drop your sword."

"Behind you sensei!" Hinata's warning came in time for Kakashi to duck under a massive sword swing that would have bisected him at the chest as the Zabuza he had just been threatening turned into yet another puddle of water. Kakashi spun around, tearing the kunai across Zabuza's abdomen creating a deep gash, finally drawing actual blood that flowed down, staining the crotch of his pants red.

"Good job guys, keep it up." Kakashi was quite pleased with the level of support his team was able to give him. When the mist had first formed he got a little worried, but Naruko had taken care of that quickly and easily, and Hinata's Byakugan had been plenty of warning for him to take advantage of the opening Zabuza made with such a committed strike.

Zabuza backed away, clutching at his opened gut. "That girl's a Hyuuga!?" He growled out, one eye clenched in pain. Taking his now bloody left hand, he reached into his pouch, grabbing a blood clotting pill and swallowed it. The blood flow from his wound diminished greatly, but there was still some of that precious fluid dripping out with his larger movements.

Zabuza tilted his sword in front of him, blocking Kakashi's view of his hands, and ran through some hand seals.

"**Suiton: Josho Mizu Datsu no Jutsu (Rising Water Darts)"** The water that had been spread all over the ground formed into nail like shapes, and shot up at Kakashi like a rising shower at high speeds. The darts that missed embedded themselves in the surrounding vegetation creating thin but very deep holes. Kakashi began jumping around, dodging them by narrow margins. While he was distracted, Zabuza sent a volley at Team 7. Who tensed, preparing to protect the client.

"**Katon: Goukakyou no Jutsu!"** Sasuke shot a fireball at the darts attacking them, evaporating them before they reached Tazuna. The fireball continued on towards Zabuza, who grabbed his sword and jumped back out onto the lake.

Kakashi followed him onto the lake, running through more hand seals. **"Raiton: Kantoku Hoden no Jutsu! (Directed Discharge)"** Kakashi plunged both hands underwater, sending an electrical attack straight at Zabuza, who jumped into the air, and began making more hand seals, this time mimicked exactly by Kakashi. Zabuza landed back on the lake and both combatants released their attack simultaneously.

"**Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu! (Water Dragon Bullet)"** Kakashi and Zabuza were now both surrounded by several pillars of water, coalescing above them into a pair of battling water dragons.

Seeing Zabuza currently completely open and immobilized, Naruko attacked. **"Futon: Shinkugyoku!"** Naruko took a deep breath then spat out as many vacuum bullets at Zabuza as she could. Zabuza glared at her from the corner of his eye and manipulated the water pillars around him to bend into the path of the attack, being temporarily dispersed and weakening his dragon.

Kakashi seized the chance and was able to make his attack crush through Zabuza's, and ram into the man. Watching from a distance it looked like Zabuza had just been swallowed by the water dragon as the attack pushed him under the surface of the lake.

Before the attack even subsided, one of Zabuza's hands surfaced between Kakashi's feet, and a bubble of water rapidly formed around the Copy Ninja. Zabuza slowly surfaced, panting through the wrappings around his face. The wound on his stomach had reopened and he had multiple bruises forming along his body.

"You're good Sharingan no Kakashi, but I've won now." His right hand was in the bubble holding Kakashi, maintaining the Jutsu as his left hand brought the Kubikiribocho to bear on the man. Kakashi smirked under his mask and with a great deal of effort under the heavy water, pointed back at the shore.

Zabuza once again turned to the Genin. Naruko was again taking a deep breath. "Damnit!" Zabuza brought his sword in front of him, managing to turn his body to hide nearly completely behind the flat of his blade as wind bullets began relentlessly impacting his blade.

"Your brats are incredibly annoying Kakashi."

Naruko ended her attack before she ran out of breath, seeing that her bullets weren't doing much against Kubikiribocho's steel body.

"Fine, then let's try something else." Naruko moved forward several yards. "Stay behind me." She told her team and client who looked curiously at her. She began spinning the Mastermune around her from side to side like a propeller pumping her chakra into the weapon. This was a variation of the **Shinkuha** she had come up with.

Once the Mastermune was spinning fast enough to start blurring. **"Futon: Renzoku Shinkuha Kohai! (Continuous Vacuum Wave Devastation)"** From both blades on the Mastermune Vacuum Waves began rushing out towards Zabuza when they swung in front of Naruko, the waves rotating in such a way that they would all flow around the bubble Kakashi was trapped in. The waves carved large gashes into the ground and through the water as they raced forward.

Zabuza was forced to release his hold on Kakashi so he didn't get sliced into fish bait. He was a bit too slow and got his right forearm sliced open before he managed to clear the danger zone.

Naruko cut off her jutsu, slowing the Mastermune's spinning to a stop. The ground in front of her was looking like an earthquake had just hit, covered completely in uneven surfaces and debris that had been torn up by the wind blades. The water where her attacks had cut through were churning wildly, filling in the gaps made by her attack and some of the trees on the other side of the lake had been reduced to firewood.

Zabuza snarled in frustration, once again running through hand seals, which were copied by the now dripping wet Kakashi, who had closed his right eye so he could concentrate with his Sharingan. Zabuza kept one eye on Naruko, that brat had been far more of a problem than he'd ever thought a Genin could be to him.

"You're nothing-"

"But a monkey!" Kakashi interrupted him, finishing his sentence.

"Without those fucking brats you would be dead!" They spoke in unison.

"_What is this, is he-"_

"Reading my mind!?" Kakashi continued his mind games, the power of the Sharingan and his experience fighting enemy ninja allowing him to predict the words and thoughts of his opponent.

Zabuza's seal making faltered while Kakashi sped up his own hand seals, finishing well before Zabuza. **"Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu! (Great Waterfall)"** A circle of water formed in front of Kakashi before it shot a very large and very fast stream of water at Zabuza. It was like an airborne river had just collided with Zabuza with the power of a stampede, sending him crashing through multiple trees, probably breaking a few ribs. The pressure of the attack opened the gashes on his arm and stomach up further. Zabuza wasn't looking like he'd live through the night. As the water drained away from around him, four kunai flew through the air, one impacting each bicep and thigh.

Kakashi jumped to a tree branch above Zabuza, kunai in hand.

"How? Can you see the future?" Zabuza was looking pretty spooked at Kakashi's seemingly supernatural ability.

"Yes. And I see you're death." Just before Kakashi could throw his kunai a pair of senbon impaled themselves straight through Zabuza's neck killing him.

"It appears you were right. He did die." A soft, feminine voice said, as another ninja revealed themselves in the treetops. It appeared to be a woman, with long black hair done up in a bun, pale skin, and turquoise painted nails. She wore a blue kimono top with white borders over a beige long-sleeved turtleneck, and a short beige hakama. On her feet were a pair of wooden sandals and she wore a Kiri Hunter-nin mask, with red wave like decoration.

"Thank you very much." The Hunter bowed. "I've been after this one for weeks."

Naruko frowned in thought. She felt like she was missing something, but couldn't put her finger on it.

Kakashi jumped down next to Zabuza, checking for a pulse. After a few moments he declared the missing-nin dead and moved back to check on his team.

"Uh, Kakashi-Sensei, what's going on?" Hinata asked, letting her Byakugan fade. She had been focusing her attention on the fight and so hadn't noticed the Hunters presence.

"This is a Hunter-nin from Kirigakure. Every village has Hunters like this whose job it is to hunt down missing-nin and destroy them so village secrets can be maintained. Zabuza was from Kiri, hence, the Kiri Hunter-nin coming after him."

The Kiri-nin dropped down next to Zabuza hauling the much larger person onto her back, sword and all, when Naruko just figured out what she was missing.

"Wow, you're a Hunter-nin?" Naruko approached her, sticking the Mastermune on her back. "That's one of the highest ranks you can get, and you look like you're our age. You must be very talented." The Hunter tensed as she got closer.

"Naruko, we need to get moving. I don't want to be out here when it gets really dark." Kakashi called to her pulling his Hitai-ate back down over his eye. "Let the Hunter do her job." He was exhausted from his fight and wanted to get some rest.

"Right right! Just one thing." Naruko's hand latched onto the Hunters left arm with an iron like grip.

"You're not a real Hunter-nin, are you?"

Rather than react violently like Naruko had expected, the Hunter merely tilted her head in confusion. "I'm sorry? What are you talking about?" Naruko was starting to feel like she'd made a mistake, a mild blush of embarrassment spreading across her cheeks, but she continued on anyways. She could apologize afterwards if she was wrong.

"A bit ago we encountered a couple more Kiri missing-nin. We left them tied up with some of my clones standing guard over them until a hunter or patrol came to pick them up. An hour after we left those clones were destroyed by a blue and black blur. I think that fits your description."

The Hunter giggled. "You know, you're pretty cute, especially up close." Naruko blushed even more. Whoever this was certainly wasn't behaving like she expected someone who had just freed a couple of wanted rogues would.

Kakashi frowned and lifted his Hitai-ate back up. "I'm sorry Hunter-San, but Naruko's just being cautious. I hope you won't mind if we really want to be sure that Zabuza has been killed and cut his head off. Besides" he eye smiled, "I want to be able to collect the bounty on his head."

The Kiri-nin was silent for a moment, making Naruko tighten her grip. "I can't allow that."

Shocking Naruko the girl ran through hand signs with one hand. **"Hijutsu: Sensatsu Suisho. (Thousand Needles of Death)"** She stomped on the ground, making hundreds of thin ice needles jump up surrounding her and Naruko which proceeded to dart at the blond, flowing around the black haired shinobi. The woman turned Naruko's tactic back on her, grabbing her arm with the same arm Naruko was holding on to.

Naruko couldn't use a substitution with someone holding onto her like that, actively resisting the technique that would drag her along. Not having much of a choice Naruko drew her wakizashi, sending it slicing in a trajectory that would gut her from stomach to throat. If she was going down, she would take her enemy with her. This was stopped however by the hand the woman had created the jutsu with, grabbing Naruko's hand and stopping the blade several centimeters from her abdomen with a strained grunt, and further shocking Naruko that she was strong enough to stop her arm.

Not having time or the means to make seals to properly mold her Chakra, Naruko sloppily formed a **Shinkugyoku** in her mouth and spat it at her opponent's masked face. It didn't work like Naruko had hoped, tearing up some of her throat and mouth, making blood leak from between her lips, while the hunter tilted her head, dodging the weak attack entirely. Naruko wouldn't be able to escape the needles.

Naruko's eyes squeezed shut and a yell of pain escaped her ravaged throat, as the pain of dozens of needles stabbing deep into her washed over her. The only places she wasn't being impaled were her legs, arms, shoulders, forehead and back, where her armor and the Mastermune were.

"Naruko!" She vaguely heard Hinata and Kakashi call out as she collapsed, her body going numb as she blacked out from all the pressure points and nerves hit by the ice needles.

* * *

**Well…that escalated quickly. I saw maybe, half of this chapter coming. The other half took me off guard. How does that happen?!**

**So, you may have noticed a few changes from the series. I know I did. I'm glad everyone's enjoying things so far, let me know what you think of my update. I had lots of fun writing this particular chapter.**


	11. Recovery and Preparations

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Rurouni Kenshin or Chrono Cross. I am writing this purely to see reader reaction and for fun. I make no financial profit doing this.

Chapter 11 – Recovery and Preparations

Team 7 and Tazuna watched in horror as Naruko's body was riddled full of ice needles. She was still for a moment that seemed to drag on far longer than it should have before collapsing to her knees then pitched forward, falling face down into the ground, the needles that had been lodged in her front being pushed even further in.

"Naruko!" Hinata and Kakashi yelled. Kakashi was quick to attack the Hunter who had revealed herself to be an enemy, launching a brace of shuriken at the masked Shinobi, and charging behind them.

The Hunter easily jumped away and over the flying blades, quickly **shunshining **away in a burst of wind and loose leaves. In Kakashi's fatigued state he was in no condition to stop her.

Hinata slid on her knees next to Naruko's unmoving body, a pool of blood steadily growing beneath her. The ice needles that had perforated her quickly melted when they came in contact with her much hotter blood, letting the wounds freely bleed. There probably wasn't a single artery that hadn't been punctured.

Hands shaking violently, Hinata pulled out the contents of the large equipment pouch at Naruko's lower back. This was where Naruko kept her medical supplies. In addition, Hinata quickly opened one of the flaps on her own travel pack, pulling out her own medical supplies.

"K-k-kakashi-Sensei! What do we do?! There's so much blood!" The poor girl was going hysterical seeing her friend bleeding out.

Kakashi gave a very quick glance around, looking for potential threats. It wasn't nearly as thorough as he'd like it to be, but there was no time to make a proper check. "Sasuke! Get out all the bandages and blood pills you have on you, then keep a lookout for the enemy." Sasuke nodded quickly adding his own medical supplies to the pile Hinata had made, before turning to keep a look on the surroundings.

Kakashi quickly swallowed a soldier pill, boosting his chakra and energy reserves. Kneeling down next to Naruko, he helped Hinata turn Naruko over onto her back. First thing first, they had to stop the bleeding. Kakashi was surprised that Naruko's pallor wasn't snow white by now with how much blood was currently soaking into the dirt, but there was no time to question it.

Snatching four pills from their supplies, two blood restoration and two blood clotting pills, he forced them down Naruko's shredded throat, pouring a very small amount of water with it to help it go down. He'd normally never consider using more than two pills of any kind at the same time, even less so mixing them with a different kind of pill, but things were looking pretty desperate. He would just have to hope that the regeneration offered her by the Kyuubi would be enough to sustain her.

Naruko choked a bit, but the pills went down quickly. The bleeding momentarily increased as the restoration pills got to work, followed by an immediate lessening as the clotting began scabbing over many of the punctures.

"Help me undo her arm and leg guards Hinata." The two made quick work of slipping off her Tekko and un-strapping the Suneate. Hinata gasped when he reached for Naruko's belt, putting her hands over his before he could undo it.

"What are you doing!?"

"We have to check the wounds on her legs, there's no time for modesty here!" He growled out, shaking Hinata's hands away, and pulling Naruko's pants down to her ankles, revealing her dark purple boxer briefs. The femoral arteries were still probably bleeding out. Since so much blood pumped through them it was much more difficult to get them to clot. Sure enough there were multiple holes that were still gushing blood, just not as quickly as he'd been expecting.

"Tourniquets!" Hinata and Kakashi quickly tied rubber above the arterial punctures, tightening them as much as they could. The blood flow lessened greatly, but still dripped out.

"Help me sit her up." Kakashi pulled Naruko into a sitting position, leaning her on Hinata. Kakashi quickly removed Naruko's now bloody jacket, and took advantage of the fact that her shirt was sleeveless, only covering the tops of her shoulders.

Her arms were in much better condition, it being more difficult to land a lethal blow on someone's biceps. The arterial punctures here could wait; they had already largely stopped bleeding. Her Tekko had stopped the majority of the needles hitting her arms, keeping the arteries in her forearms relatively safe. Kakashi stripped off her bloody shirt, leaving her in just her shoes, boxers and dark purple sports bra.

To Kakashi's great relief, the injuries to her torso were steaming very lightly, as they closed themselves. Naruko's regeneration had probably prioritized it, as her organs were sure to have been damaged greatly as well. There was a lot less blood as well, it being much more difficult for something like Senbon to hit a major artery outside of the extremities.** (1)**

Her back was looking particularly okay, even though it had definitely sustained the most hits. Examining her back, it felt like he was pressing on silk covered steel. It was no surprise that the needles hadn't been able to pierce very far into it. He supposed her body density had mitigated the damage. She would probably already be dead without the Kyuubi's influence.

"Okay, bandages on her thighs, arms and neck, then we should get to Tazuna's home. There won't be much else we can do for her and we're too exposed out here."

Sasuke periodically glanced back at his team, struggling to come to terms with seeing his self declared rival in such a condition. She had always seemed kind of invincible, and now she looked like she was on the verge of death. Once they finished bandaging her, they removed the tourniquets from her thighs, restoring her blood flow, and pulled her clothes back on her, tucking her armor into their bags and gathering her weapons.

Sasuke moved back to them from where he had been keeping watch, and the three quickly and efficiently repacked what was left of their medical supplies. Kakashi quickly unfolded a portable stretcher, motioning for Sasuke to take one end as they placed Naruko on it.

"Hinata, on watch. Tazuna-San please show us the way."

Tazuna gulped and took a quick gulp of Sake to calm his nerves. That was one of the most strenuous things he'd ever witnessed.

"Ah, right, follow me. It's not far from here." He took off down the path at a light jog, Team 7 following behind him, Hinata with her Byakugan active, holding Naruko's jacket and the Mastermune in her arms bringing up the rear.

* * *

The fake Hunter appeared in a burst of wind several miles away from Team 7. Setting Zabuza's body down, she took out the tools she would need to revive Zabuza.

"First, I'll drain the blood in his mouth." She whispered to herself, moving a set of shears to the bandages wrapped around his face. Before she could begin, Zabuza's hand shot up, grabbing her wrist.

"I'll do it myself."

"Oh, so you came back to life already."

"You're so harsh Haku." Zabuza reach up and yanked the senbon needles out of his neck.

"Zabuza-Sama! Don't do that so roughly or you really will die."

"Hmph! How long are you going to wear that mask?"

"Oh, I forgot I had it on. It's been awhile since I've worn it. But it was useful getting you out of there." Haku pulled off the mask, revealing her brown eyes and pale face. "If I weren't there, you would've died for sure."

"What happened with the Konoha-nin?"

"That cute blonde girl figured out that I wasn't a real Hunter. She called me out, and I had to take her out. I hope her friends were able to help her, but I doubt it. Whatever the case, we won't have to worry about her."

"_Cute blonde_? I didn't know that was the type you went for."

Haku shrugged. "I can't explain it. She seemed really nice, and kind of funny, and she was very strong. We probably could've been friends under better circumstances."

Zabuza grunted, and tried standing.

"You won't be able to move very well for at least a week, maybe longer with those wounds. But then again, maybe it won't take as long, since it's you." Haku took advantage of his sitting up state to clean, stitch and bandage the gash on his abdomen, then the much smaller wound on his arm.

* * *

Naruko found herself back in her mindscape in front of Kyuubi's cage. Since it had become its more pleasant version of a tropical island with perpetually nice weather, the cage had become a cave facing the sea. The bars and sealing scroll were still present, to the Kyuubi's annoyance.

Before Naruko could do anything a hard smack hit her on the back of the head knocking her face first into the ground with a startled cry.

"How could you let yourself be taken out so easily!?" Masa was furious, Naruko noted with a hint of trepidation. She just _knew_ the next time she trained with him he would be taking it out on her. And from the looks of it Mune may just join him. "That masked woman took you out like you were nothing!"

Naruko lifted her head up and spat out some sand that had gotten in her mouth. "I'm sorry Masa-Sensei. I have no excuse." Naruko sat cross legged in front of the two. "I let my guard down. I had no idea that stringing together one handed seals was possible like that. I mean for support techniques like the **Shunshin**, or setting off explosive tags sure, but not for an assault Jutsu like she did."

"Naru-Chan isn't completely at fault here. With the information available to her she made the correct decision. It's a good tactic, eliminating one your opponent's arms so they can't make hand seals or escape. I know that neither of us expected to see single handed seal techniques from someone so young. That fake Hunter probably uses that tactic rather frequently with an ability like that."

Naruko shook her head. "No, that's not acceptable Mune-Sensei. If it weren't for Kyuu-Kun then I would be dead right now. Right?" She looked behind her at the giant fox that was lying behind her.

"_**That's right Kit. You were stabbed at least six times in every organ except the brain due to the density of your skull, including the heart. You would be dead right now if I weren't here. Everything still has some damage and you lost a great deal of blood, so you'll be unconscious for at least the night while I finish healing you. You may have a stomach ache when you wake up due to your Sensei shoving two blood replenishing and two blood clotting pills down your gullet. That's also something that would have killed you without me."**_

_**He grinned showing off his sharp fangs. "And that's a nice mindset you've got. But fact is, that you **_**do**_** have me and all the benefits of being my Jinchuuriki. There's no reason to behave as if you don't. You're nigh un-killable unless someone cuts your head off, and good luck getting through your bones to do it. You can even survive having your throat and or heart ripped clear out. And my gifts will only get better as your body matures."**_

"Thanks Kyuu-Kun, you're always there for me." She grinned at the massive fox. "There's nothing you two can do to speed things up?" She asked Masa and Mune.

"Unfortunately no." Mune shook his head. "If we tried, the conflicting demonic and holy energies would cancel each other out, and may cause even more damage. Once you attain stronger control of your holy and demonic energies, you may be able to use both at the same time. But for now your body wouldn't be able to handle it."

"But!" Masa cut in cheerfully. "If for some reason Kyuubi is unable to heal you and you end up in similar condition, we'll be able to heal you just fine. And since we have you for at least the night, let's get to your training!"

The Mastermune materialized in front of Naruko who quickly grabbed it, jumping into her ready stance.

"Ready!"

* * *

The next afternoon Naruko woke up with a jerk, trying to dodge one last attack from Masa. This strained her newly healed and stiff tendons and ligaments, making her groan lightly in discomfort. Kakashi looked over from his book, quite startled. He wasn't expecting her to wake up for a week at least, but here she was conscious after only one night's sleep.

"Naruko-Chan, you woke up quickly." He said tucking his book away in his equipment pouch.

Naruko tried responding, but quickly descended into coughs and gags, spitting up blood on the handkerchief Kakashi quickly slipped into her hands.

"Don't try talking yet, you tore apart your throat pretty badly with that vacuum bullet last night and it hasn't had time to heal yet." He handed her a warm cup of tea that he'd been planning on drinking himself.

"_**Another hour at most."**_ Kyuubi's deep voice informed her.

She sipped at it, the warm fluid soothing her ragged esophagus and washing off some of the blood that had dried.

"We're at Tazuna's house now. Sasuke and Hinata are outside working on some training exercises. That fake Hunter-nin you sniffed out managed to get away with Zabuza, so we'll be seeing them again. But it'll take at least a week and a half for him to recover from all the injuries we gave him, unless he has a giant demon of his own to treat him." He gave her an eye smile.

Naruko looked around for her things, noticing that she was in just her bra and boxers, bandages covering her thighs and biceps, light blood stains covering them. Kakashi wordlessly gestured at the Mastermune leaning against the wall to her left. Her equipment pouches, armor and jacket were piled under it.

"Tsunami-Chan, Tazuna-San's daughter took your clothes to wash. They were nearly drenched in blood. Honestly, I'm astounded that you lived through it." Naruko merely grinned in response, idly scratching at the bandages around her neck.

She sent a questioning feeling at Kyuubi, getting a wordless 'go ahead' back.

She grabbed the bandage around her arms and began unrolling it, slightly unsettling Kakashi who decided to just observe for now. To his surprise and relief there was only smooth unblemished skin revealed, if a little dirty, having small patches of dried blood on it. This would repeat until Naruko had unwrapped her arms and legs, before moving onto the wrappings around her neck. She struggled a moment finding the right place to start unwrapping, but that didn't stop her for long.

While she did this, Kakashi grabbed her jacket and held it out to her. She reached inside it and unsealed a fresh set of clothing, and some bathing supplies, sending a questioning look at her masked sensei.

"I'll go grab Hinata and have her accompany you in the bath alright? For my own peace of mind." He said quickly, seeing the protest building on her face.

Before anything else could happen Hinata had burst into the room, Byakugan quickly deactivating, followed by a much more sedately paced Sasuke.

"Naruko-Chan! You're awake!" Hinata glomped Naruko, nearly knocking the blonde prone. "I was so worried about you! There was blood everywhere and you weren't moving, and you looked so pale I thought you were gonna die!" Hinata was hysterical, babbling and nearly crying in relief and doing her best to break Naruko's ribs with her hug.

Naruko grinned at her and returned the hug, rubbing Hinata's back soothingly.

Sasuke took one look at Naruko, noticed her state of undress and undone hair, flowing down to mid back in glorious golden waves and quickly turned around, blushing furiously and scowling.

"About time Uzumaki." He chanced looking again, eyes inevitably drawn below her neck. "I didn't expect you to be taken down so easily."

When Naruko tried to make a retort she once again descended into blood expelling coughs, covering her mouth with the handkerchief Kakashi gave her earlier.

"Naruko-Chan!?" Hinata and Sasuke looked at her alarmed.

"Naruko! Stop trying to talk would you? I know it'll be difficult, but you might permanently damage your voice if you keep trying." Kakashi told her sternly. "Naruko-Chan tore up her throat real good with that last Futon jutsu she tried to use on the Fake Hunter last night, so she won't be able to talk for awhile."

Then the two Genin noticed the bandages Naruko had been wearing were gone, the only sign she had been injured the dried patches of blood.

"Naruko-Chan, what happened to all of your wounds? There were so many, you can't have healed already."

Not being able to talk, she just gave Hinata a sitting nice guy pose, teeth sparkle and all, despite not being a guy. Tenten could say what she wanted, but sometimes Gai-San's antics were fun to do. Even Kakashi-Sensei did this one.

"I've had Sasuke and Hinata-Chan working on tree walking and water walking respectively, are you familiar with these exercises Naruko-Chan?"

Naruko stood up with some difficulty, making Sasuke's blush darken again seeing the muscles working under her skin. Naruko felt the need to show off, seeing as how she was currently unable to retort against Sasuke's remarks.

"Naruko-Chan! You shouldn't be moving around so much. You might hurt yourself again!" Hinata said following behind Naruko, her hands held out ready to grab her if she fell. _"She is such a mother hen._" Naruko thought to herself exasperatedly as she reached one of the walls and steadily, if stiffly walked up it. She grinned tauntingly at Sasuke, but got no reaction as his brain had momentarily stopped functioning.

Naruko frowned inwardly, noticing his gaze wandering around well beneath her face, even though she was currently parallel to the floor.

"Hinata-Chan, please take Naruko to the bathroom so she can clean herself up. Don't leave her alone, just in case." Kakashi instructed, handing Hinata the things Naruko had unsealed who quickly grabbed Naruko and pulled her out of the room.

As the girls left, Naruko's right hand came up and flicked Sasuke's nose as hard as she could, making him squawk in pain and clutch his nose with both hands, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes.

Kakashi sauntered over to Sasuke. "So then you're _not_ gay?"

"No I'm not gay you idiot! Why would you think that?!"

"Well, I haven't seen you express any interest at all in the fairer sex before just now. Other than that it was 'fight fight, train train, vengeance!' with you. And this is the first time you didn't glare at Naruko when she proved she could do something better than you."

Sasuke frowned and thought for a moment. What was Kakashi-Sensei talking about? All he could remember was looking at her body as she walked up the wall…oh.

"There it is!" Kakashi said cheerfully

* * *

"So then you're _not_ gay?" The girls heard Kakashi say, followed quickly by Sasuke's vehement response.

"No I'm not gay you idiot! Why would you think that?!"

Naruko snorted, valiantly fighting the laugh that tried to force its way out of her diaphragm, covering her mouth with the handkerchief just in case. Hinata had also covered her mouth, muffling the giggles that escaped.

* * *

Now washed and in a fresh sleeveless shirt and pants rolled up to her knees, Naruko scrubbed the blood from her precious jacket, noting that she should look into seals to keep it clean. She also noted that she should look into further armor weaves for the whole thing, rather than just the shoulders, maybe then she wouldn't have been taken down in one move by that fake hunter. It already had endurance and storage seals on it, but it was a pain getting the bloodstains out.

Once all the blood had been removed, she draped it over a low hanging branch to dry, pushing her loose hair back over her shoulder. Seeing Sasuke once again falling from his tree, she sighed. Ten more minutes until she could taunt the bastard. This was prime material she was missing out on. Several meters away from her Hinata was going through a Juken kata on the lakes surface.

Hearing Sasuke making frustrated growls, she sighed again. Kakashi was nowhere in sight, having gone with Tazuna to watch over the construction. She couldn't go out and spar with Hinata, the girl would go all mother hen on her again and refuse to let her strain herself, and Naruko didn't see a good reason or excuse to antagonize Sasuke while he was trying to learn tree walking with a legitimate threat still out there.

Oh well, it was a nice day, and since she was still recovering, she could just take a nice nap until her jacket had dried. She lay down on a branch adjacent to her jacket, once again wondering what Sai, Tenten, and Lee were up to.

* * *

"**Ninpo: Choju Giga! (Super Beast Imitating Drawing)"** Six Chinese Lions erupted from Sai's scroll, racing at a Konoha missing-nin. Sai's team had been deployed to hunt down Fukushima Ikki, who they had gotten reports had been spotted recently within Fire borders. He was a Jounin level shinobi who had defected to Kumo. There wasn't anything particularly special about him, he was barely Jounin material, but a traitor was a traitor, and he would be taken down for jeopardizing Konoha safety.

The missing-nin drew a katana from his back, managing to cut down two of the lions before the other four managed to latch onto each of his limbs, pinning him down while biting large gashes in him.

Ikki screamed in pain, blood dripping from his mouth. "Damn you Root bastards! I'll see you all in hell!" A sealing array revealed itself on his vest and began glowing.

Acting quickly, Sai took the brush he used to ink his drawings and modified the seal rapidly and precisely, turning it into a restraint sealing array, locking the man's limbs to his sides. The mission had gone even better than he'd thought, instead of having to kill the man, he could be brought back to Konoha for interrogation on Kumo's current power and disposition.

* * *

Four kunai lodged themselves in the necks of four different bandits. Tenten descending from above them, the sun behind her, wielding two shotels as long as she was tall, glowing red hot. **(2) **She landed between two more bandits, her blades cleaving through their necks, cauterizing the wounds as they were made, so there was no blood spray as the heads spun through the air.

"You guys picked the wrong caravan! You should really know better than to attack Konoha shinobi protected groups!"

The caravan Team Gai had been assigned to protect was facing a large bandit raid currently, and Tenten was having the time of her life showing off her prowess with weaponry and fire chakra.

"I'm Konoha's Prodigy of Swords and Weaponry! You have no chance!"

Three more bandits charged her with rusty katana. The condition of their weapons offended the weapons aficionado, who proceeded to cut straight through their swords, the edges melting under the intense heat of her shotels, and lopping their heads off with three smooth swings. There were still plenty of bandits, but they were finding it impossible to break through the Konoha shinobi. Their speed and martial ability far too much for the undisciplined bandits.

Tenten stored her swords into one of her storage scrolls, and jumped backwards onto one of the wagons. Digging out a different scroll, she began throwing weapons with pin point accuracy, even weapons that ordinarily don't work as throwing weapons, like nunchaku and maces.

On the other side of the caravan, Lee was crushing every bandit that got close. Every attack breaking bone, rupturing organs, or otherwise defeating his enemies.

"**Konoha Senpuu! (Leaf Whirlwind)"** Lee dashed under one bandits sword swing, and leapt into a spin kick that took him in a full spin, hitting five bandits in the head, breaking each of their necks.

"Konoha's Beautiful Green Beast shall not be defeated by the likes of you! Those of you with the guts, step forward to face your defeat!"

One of them tried to attack Lee from behind, only to be met with a rising heel kick to the chin as Lee bent forward, not even looking behind him. The man was sent flying into the air, landing several feet away with a crushed jaw, and a broken neck.

Thinking to take advantage of his vulnerable position, another bandit attacked from the front, only for Lee to quickly bring his leg back down under him and up into a back flip, connecting with the man's chin, sending him stumbling backwards. Lee capitalized on the opening, dashing forward with a devastating punch to the gut, crushing the shoddy armor on his torso and sending the man flying backwards into a group of his comrades, knocking them all down.

"None of you come close to the level of skill of those that I normally fight. You have no hope of smothering the flames of my youth!"

* * *

Once her jacket had dried, Naruko donned it once again, quickly followed by her armor. She felt far less vulnerable with them on, and gave a sigh of relief. Holding the leather thong she used for her hair in her mouth, she pulled her hair back, tying it back in its ponytail, just as a Tazuna's daughter came outside and spotted her.

"Oh! You're up already? I got the impression that you were severely injured and wouldn't be getting up for at least a few days. And there was so much blood on your clothes." The woman gave her a very kind and pleasant smile.

"Ah, yea, I was. But I heal really really fast, so I'm fine now. Thanks for letting us stay here with you."

"It's the least we could do for the people who are putting their lives at risk to help us. I'm about to go out to pick up some dinner supplies. Would you care to join me?"

"Sure, I don't mind. I could use the exercise anyways. I'm feeling a little stiff."

Walking through the village was a sobering time. Everything was run down and everyone looked desperate and hopeless. The kids were too skinny and everyone was wearing threadbare robes. It was all an uncomfortable reminder of how she had lived before Danzo-Sama had taken her in. So she did what she always did. Smiled and acted like nothing was wrong. If things went to plan, then they'd find their misfortune changing soon.

"So Nee-Chan, do you know where Gato lives exactly?" She wanted to scope out the enemy, see if she could find Zabuza before he recovered and finish him off maybe. Or that masked woman.

"He has a manor on an island he owns a few miles east from town. He has his own personal army that patrols it when they're not busy stealing from us." She said sadly.

"Don't worry Nee-Chan; I promise you, Gato will not be a problem much longer." Naruko formed a cross seal, creating ten Shadow Clones. They quickly darted off to the east, intent on spying on this Gato. There was little need to worry if they got spotted, because that fake Hunter would already have told his allies about their presence. "Once we've identified his combat capability, we might just go ahead and take him out before Tazuna-San can finish his bridge."

Even though it was a twelve year old girl doing it, Tsunami felt very relieved for some reason. More than she'd ever thought she would have.

They reached one of the few grocers that were still in business. The shelves were largely bare, and the products available were rather sorry looking. Tsunami picked out some of the remaining goods and paid the cashier and exchanged a polite goodbye. It was a wonder to Naruko that the people of Wave could still be so courteous to each other in these circumstances.

"Are there any rules against fishing and hunting Nee-Chan?"

"No, but we don't do it often because the bandits scare away the game and if you get caught fishing alone they usually take everything you've caught as well as your fishing gear."

"I see. When I'm feeling back to a hundred percent I'll do something."

"Naruko-Chan, you shouldn't take such burdens on yourself. You're too young to have to worry about such things."

"Bandit's won't be any trouble for me to wipe out at all. You'll see in a couple of days. This place looks like it's sorely in need of a booster shot of hope, and I think I'm just the girl to give it."

Just as they reached the edge of the marketplace, Naruko turned her head to look at a small congregation of kids that had gathered, all giving her their best pitiful expressions and holding out their hands.

Naruko turned, her left side facing them as she considered this new problem. She could give them something, and start up her reputation, but doing so would draw a lot of attention to her. If she started giving handouts, odds were that everyone would be coming after her for more. That's just how it worked. Even if these were kids, and she felt a lot of sympathy for them, understanding very well just how hard things could get.

She wouldn't be able to help them all for a few days. When she had fully recovered and finished scouting out the surroundings she would start thinking up plans.

Naruko shook her head, she was thinking about this too much. No one here would be able to stop her if she really wanted to get away from them. She reached inside her jacket and unsealed a bag of candy, handing two pieces to each child before waving them off.

"That was very sweet of you Naruko-Chan. Things are difficult for everyone, but once Tou-San's bridge is finished, things will get better."

* * *

When Naruko and Tsunami got back to the house, Kakashi and Tazuna had returned. For once Kakashi seemed to be training his Genin properly, even though the original was still reading his book. He had two shadow clones sparring with Hinata and Sasuke, shouting out advice to them periodically.

"Have a nice walk with Tsunami-Chan, Naruko-Chan?" Kakashi asked her as she sat down next to him, while their hostess went inside to prepare dinner.

"It was fine I guess. Let me get a good look at the condition of the town, and probably the entire country."

"And what'd you think?"

"Not good Kakashi-Sensei, not good. I sent some Shadow Clones out on a scouting run while we were in town, I'll let you know what I find out as it comes in."

Kakashi nodded, still not looking up from his porn.

"Are those books really so good? I've seen Jii-Chan, Danzo-Sama and now you completely enamored with it."

Kakashi eye smiled while turning the page. "Very. There's a reason they've been best sellers for the last decade. Jiraiya-Sama is a very talented writer."

"I'll have to get my own copies later then. Alright, I'll leave you to your porn. Later." Naruko stood, walking off well away from where Hinata and Sakura were training. She went through some quick stretches, getting some satisfying pops from her joints and eliminating the remaining stiffness from her recovery.

Letting out a relieved sigh, Naruko jumped up to a thick tree branch and began studying her mother's notes some more.

* * *

Dinner that night was surprisingly good, considering what little Tsunami had to work with. She must be a magician in the kitchen, managing to feed seven people. Naruko made sure to keep herself to a normal serving size, not wanting to eat the poor people out of house and home.

This was also where Naruko finally got to meet Tazuna's grandson Inari. He was a boy of around eight years old, with a white bucket hat with two blue stripes on it, green overalls and a cream colored t-shirt. Naruko noted that he seemed just as depressed and hopeless as everyone else in Wave. He didn't speak much, keeping to himself, but sent odd looks towards the three Genin. He quickly left after he finished, giving Tsunami a quick thanks.

"So, I noticed Inari-San kept staring at that picture over there." Naruko said, nodding towards a torn photograph of the Takenaka family. The top right corner had been torn off, taking the top half of what seemed to be a man with it.

"The torn off portion was my husband Kaiza. He was killed by Gato's thugs early into his appearance." Tsunami told them, keeping her attention on the dishes she was now washing.

Tazuna took up the story for his daughter from there. "Inari used to be a much happier child, with lots of smiles and laughter. He adored that man, wanted to grow up to be just like him. Kaiza was a brave man, who always told Inari that if there was something important to him then he should use both arms to keep it safe. He was something of a local hero to those that knew him. He was someone everyone in the town knew they could trust and rely on. When one of our dams broke during a rainy season, Kaiza risked his life to go out and repair it, saving many people's homes. The entire town loved that man, and when Gato publically executed him it broke most people's spirit."

* * *

The next morning Naruko was woken up by the influx of memory from her **Kage Bunshin** dispelling, making her grin widely. She crawled out of her futon and got dressed. She had plans to make and run by Kakashi.

Her clones had successfully scouted out Gato's base of operations, and his security there was abysmal. The man may be rich, and fully capable of hiring the best security available, but he was also so stingy with his money that the only security he actually had was a bunch of third rate samurai wannabe's.

Half of her clones had transformed into generic looking hired hands and were able to explore every room except for Gato's personal wing, where his office and bedroom were located. The best part was she had found no signs whatsoever of a shinobi presence. It was unlikely that they were there, but skilled enough to avoid her senses completely, yet unable to detect her clones, so she was betting that Zabuza and that fake Hunter were staying in a separate area.

When her clones had asked around the mercenary barracks, the bandits had been more than eager to denounce those 'cowardly shinobi bitches'. From what she had been able to glean, Zabuza and his subordinates were the only shinobi on Gato's payroll.

Twenty minutes after she had woken up, Team 7 and their host family were all around the breakfast table, enjoying the meager spread Tsunami had cooked up.

"So Kakashi-Sensei. I've gotten some information that should make you very happy."

"Hmm?" he looked at her curiously.

"Gato, is a complete _moron._" Tazuna's family gave her confused looks, Inari rolling his eyes. "And Inari-San doesn't seem to believe me."

"Please explain Naruko-Chan." Kakashi and her fellow Genin turned their attention to her.

"Yesterday evening, Tsunami-Nee told me that Gato's base of operations was a manor out east on its own island, patrolled by his own personal army. Seeing as how they all should already be aware of our presence, I sent a bunch of my clones to scout it out. It was a joke to infiltrate that place. The only security it had was a bunch of drunken thugs and samurai wannabe's. Zabuza and his forces are based somewhere else, I couldn't find out where exactly."

"This is all meaningless anyways. Gato's just going to kill you all. No matter how hard you try, the weak people are always going to lose to the strong! People like you who don't understand real pain and smile all the time should stay out of our business!" Tears were streaming down Inari's face as he glared at Naruko. She reminded him too much of his dad. She had the same overwhelming confidence and demeanor he did.

"Is that what you think Inari-San? That because I smile all the time that I don't know what pain is? Don't behave as if you know anything about me, or that you know what real pain is. You have a family that loves you dearly. I don't think you get just how good you have it. Me? I don't have any parents or relatives, and I never knew what a friend was until I was seven years old. My entire village shunned me, still do even, to the point that this smile you see is a mask I don't even know how to take off anymore. Sometimes I get overly emotional or lucky and I can make a real expression, but this face you see right now? It's fake."

Naruko leaned back in her chair, ignoring the looks she was getting. "But you were right about one thing. If you're strong you live, if you're weak you die. That was the truth taught to me when I finally found a home. But the thing is, don't you think it's worth it to die for what's important to you? I'll tell you right now that I would die for those who are important to me in a heartbeat. And I believe that your dad thought the same."

Naruko stood up and walked over to the still crying Inari. "I was planning to do this later, but now will work just fine I guess." She grabbed Inari and hauled him over her shoulder like a sack of rice.

"Hey! What're you doing?! Put me down!" Inari flailed around, but was largely ignored by Naruko as she exited the house and entered the clearing where they had been training before. Coming to a stop, she dropped him unceremoniously on his butt. Everyone else who had been occupying the kitchen followed after them.

"Hey!"

"What? You told me to put you down didn't you? Just sit there and watch. I have something to show you that I think you'll like seeing."

"**Ninpo: Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! (Multi Shadow Clone)"** In a massive cloud of smoke, hundreds of Naruko's appeared in the clearing, on the tree branches, and on the surface of the lake.

"Each one of these clones a physical copy of me." She pushed one, and it took a step backwards. "Gato has an army of poorly trained thugs. Well _I'm _an army of well trained Shinobi when I feel like it. And as a bonus to your Jii-Chan's protection mission, I'm not leaving Wave until either Gato does, or he's dead."

"Naruko-Chan! How many did you make?!" Hinata's head swiveled trying to count them all.

"Somewhere over three hundred, I didn't bother keeping track." Naruko shrugged and then turned back to Inari whose jaw seemed to have unhinged itself.

"And this concludes my demonstration, I hope you enjoyed it." All of the clones puffed out of existence, smoke filling everyone's vision for a few moments.

"So Kakashi-Sensei, I'm thinking, send me to wipe out Gato right now while you keep an eye on the bridge and Tazuna-San."

"…Give it a few more days' observation to make sure you haven't missed anything, then you can go ahead. Last night might just have been a particularly poorly secured night."

Another team of Shadow Clones burst into existence, quickly jumping off to the East. "Roger that Sensei. I can hardly wait. In the mean time, I'm going to hang out in the forest a bit. See ya later."

Before she could make her leave, Sasuke stopped her. "Hold on Uzumaki! How did you do that?" He asked in a low angry voice.

"Can you be more specific Uchiha?"

"The clones! How did you make so many? I've never seen you make more than a dozen before."

"The same way I do anything. Training and practice…well, and an insane pedigree. The Uzumaki were known for having extremely potent and large Chakra reserves." She quickly **shunshined **away before he could bother her further, making him seethe.

* * *

Naruko was lazily hopping between tree branches, enjoying the new scenery. She had pretty much completely explored Konoha and its immediate surroundings, so being in a new country was pretty interesting. After a few minutes of nothing special, she spotted a very cute black haired, brown eyed girl in a pink kimono and a black choker. She had a basket she was filling with medicinal herbs from the looks of it. Creeping up behind her was a pair of thugs, probably Gato's. It wasn't difficult to surmise what they wanted with the way they were looking at the girl.

Naruko effortlessly made a jump, landing directing on top of them, one foot on each of their heads, stomping them face first into the ground. The girl she had just saved spun around, a startled look on her face.

"Yo!" Naruko jauntily waved at her, giving her a Kakashi style eye smile. "You oughta be more careful Nee-Chan, it's dangerous for pretty girls like you to be out by themselves."

She hopped down from her perch on the thugs' heads and summoned a clone to drag them out of sight, kill them, strip them of anything useful that she wanted, then dump them in the lake, letting their armor drag them down.

The girl was speechless for several moments, before she smiled at Naruko. "Thank you so much. I never expected something like this to happen. But I need to finish gathering herbs to help my father. What are you doing out here?"

"I was just doing some exploring. When I spotted what was going on here I couldn't help myself. I just had to do something. People like them are some of the worst this world has to offer."

"I'm glad you did. I don't want to think about what would have happened if you hadn't. My name's Haku, who are you?"

"Uzumaki Naruko. Do you want any help with your gathering? I don't have anything else I need to do."

"Sure. I appreciate it."

Taking note of the shape and number of the leaves in Haku's basket, Naruko began picking the same plant, making her own pile in the basket.

"So are you a ninja then?" Haku asked looking at Naruko's Hitai-ate.

"That's right. I just graduated from the Konoha Academy a month ago. I'm going to be the most powerful shinobi Konoha's ever seen someday."

"The most powerful ever? You already seem so strong, why do you need more?"

"So I can pay someone back for everything he's done for me. It's his goal to make sure that Konoha is safe. I intend to keep it that way, and to do that I need as much power as I can get."

Haku smiled understandingly at her. "So you have someone precious you fight for?"

Naruko nodded, thinking of Danzo-Sama and her friends. "That's right. For the first four years of my life, I was completely unwanted. It seemed like everyone I met hated me, or didn't care at all. Then one day, someone found me, took me in and protected me. So I've decided I will do everything I can to support him. He wants me to be strong, so I'll do everything I can to make myself the strongest person on the planet."

"That's good. I believe that a person is only truly strong when they are fighting to protect someone precious to them."

Naruko chuckled. "You'd fit right in at Konoha. That's practically the village motto."

Naruko's clone wandered back to the two, handing Naruko a pack of money and jewelry the two had been carrying, which was put into one of her storage seals, then dismissed itself.

"What did you do with those two bandits?"

"You don't need to worry about them Nee-Chan. They won't be bothering anyone again."

Haku looked saddened for a bit before smiling again. "I see. Thank you for all your help. I have enough now to help my father."

She stood, picking up her basket.

"I'll walk you home okay? I won't feel right if I don't. I'll just start worrying that you got attacked again."

Haku grimaced on the inside. She couldn't allow this girl to follow her back to Zabuza, not in the condition he was in. In his state, Haku was certain that Naruko could kill him. Not to mention she couldn't figure out how Naruko was even still alive! She didn't think anyone could survive that amount of damage, or at the very least be moving around like Naruko was so quickly afterwards.

"That's very sweet of you Naru-Chan, but I'll be fine on my own. Really."

"Nee-Chan, you nearly got yourself ambushed not even twenty minutes ago. What's the problem anyways, do you not want me to see where you live, or do you not like me?"

"No, I like you Naru-Chan. Quite a lot really. It's just…I'll feel even more emasculated than I already do, having such a good looking girl walk me home after saving my life."

"Emasculated?" Naruko frowned in confusion.

"I'm a boy." Haku smiled disarmingly at her, then turned to walk away.

Naruko gave Haku's retreating form a blank stare. "Bullshit!"

"Huh?" Haku looked back in confusion, seeing Naruko's face twisted in an expression of complete disbelief.

"Take off your shirt and prove it!" There was no way in hell a boy could be that pretty! Not to mention the pheromones she was getting with her nose were distinctly female, and she saw no signs of an adams apple under that choker.

Haku sputtered a bit, trying to come up with a response. This was the first time someone was really calling her out on it. Every time she had done this before her target had been too stunned to react before she had left their sight.

"Wha-b-uh, Of course I'm a boy! I don't have to prove anything to you Naru-Chan!" She said, drawing her kimono closer around her.

"If that's the case, then it shouldn't be an issue taking your shirt off. Seeing a shirtless guy is fine ya know, it's the girls that have to worry about being topless." Naruko hopped over to Haku before she could turn to run away again.

"Okay fine! I'm a girl." Haku said when Naruko began trying to open up her kimono. Shifting her clothes back into place with mild glare and pout.

"I knew it! I guess you tell people that you're a boy so that you can avoid the attention of thugs like those guys earlier." Haku nodded, it was a better excuse than that she just liked messing with people's heads. "It would probably work better if you didn't dress so prettily. So, c'mon, let me walk you home. It's the least you can do for your hero right?" Naruko grinned.

"You are my hero aren't you?" Haku said, stepping closer to the blonde, getting an idea of how she could get away without Naruko following. "I can't believe I almost didn't give you a hero's reward."

Without warning, Haku grabbed Naruko's face in both hands and pulled her into a full on, rather passionate kiss, making Naruko squeak in shock, eyes wide and mind blanking completely under Haku's assault. Nearly fifteen seconds later Haku pulled away.

"Thanks again Naru-Chan. Let's meet again sometime." Haku jogged away from the unresponsive blonde, whose mind still hadn't rebooted.

"_Still so cute Naru-Chan. But I hope we don't meet again, otherwise we might have to kill each other." _They had practically the same story, unwanted early on, but eventually found by someone who did want them. She would hate it, but if it came down to it, she would slay Naruko to support Zabuza-Sama.

Several minutes later Naruko finally came back to her senses. The one thing on her mind? "She stole my first kiss!"

* * *

**(1) If I am wrong about this, please correct me and I will go back and change this. I am not a doctor, so I could very well be wrong.**

**(2) Shotel – curved sword originating from Ethiopia. Looks kind of like a scimitar or reverse scythe. Feel free to google pictures.**

**Chapter end! Stuff and things happened. Let me know what you thought, feedback, constructive criticism, and questions all welcome!**


	12. The Battle for Wave

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Rurouni Kenshin or Chrono Cross. I am writing this purely to see reader reaction and for fun. I make no financial profit doing this.

Chapter 12 – The Battle for Wave

Three days after meeting Haku, and the subsequent mind breaking surprise kiss, Naruko could be found sitting cross legged in front of a small table Tazuna's family had loaned her. She hoped Haku had gotten home safely, despite her having stolen her first kiss, and to be honest, when she had time to calm down and reflect on it, it hadn't been bad at all.

Naruko was a good twenty meters away from the house practicing her Fuinjutsu, several stacks of blank scrolls and large ink wells around her. Wanting every little bit of dexterity and tactile contact she could get for her practice, she was currently bare of her jacket and Tekko, making her feel just the slightest bit naked. Mune and Kakashi had deemed her knowledge of the subject sufficient to begin working on the more advanced techniques, though Kakashi was unaware of Mune's teachings.

To Naruko's great delight she had inherited every bit of the fabled Uzumaki and Yondaime Fuinjutsu talent, the latter of which she firmly ignored. She soaked up the lessons, concepts and theories of the rare and obscure field like a sponge of infinite holding. Mune was actually in awe of her beyond rapid progress. And if Mune was in awe, than Kakashi's brain was about to implode in a storm of wild inadequacy. She was on the verge of overtaking his own ability in the Sealing arts, and he was no slouch in the field. And she had only been actively studying it for a month and a half, not having much time to devote to it while she had still been primarily in Danzo's training regimen. Since she had become a Genin he had been allowing her to handle most of her own training, letting her come to him if she wanted more of his help. Of course, Kakashi didn't know about the fact that one day turned into a month in her mindscape, where Mune's lessons for her largely took place, and Fuinjutsu was one of the many many things he was well versed in.

With one last swirl on the small sheet of paper, she finished off the explosive tag she was making. Tugging out a kunai and running through a quick set of hand seals she performed a jutsu the Sandaime had invented and taught her. **"Kunai Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. (Kunai Shadow Clone)"** Well, he had developed it for shuriken, but the jutsu could easily be used for other potential projectiles.

Picking a cloned kunai from the small hill next to her, she wrapped it in her explosive tag, ignited the tag and threw it over the water. A few moments later she watched it erupt into a purple burst of electricity, bolts jutting out in jagged arcs. She grinned at the result. Even if the target managed to avoid the initial explosion, the lightning would probably hit them, having a longer range than a normal explosive tag, and being attracted to metal. Like the forehead protectors, kunai, swords and armor of samurai, shinobi, and thugs. Depending on the level of chakra used to ignite them, the burst and arcs would be more powerful.

She would think up a name for them later…or rather get her friends to come up with something. She had been banned from naming her own techniques without one of their approval after trying to name her **Renzoku Shinkuha Kohai** the **'****Kurakurasuru shi maku 3 no kyukyoku no satsugai jikan no ido!' (Ultimate Killing Time Move of Spinny Death Mark 3!)**, even despite there being no mark one or two. She thought it'd make the attack more mysterious, having people always wondering if they'd ever see mark one or two. And yes, the exclamation marks were part of the name.

Sasuke glared at her from where he was practicing his tree walking. There were dozens of splintered dents and slashes in its bark marking his attempts. He had now reached the top of his tree, but it was a bit shaky so he kept working on it. Hinata was with Kakashi at the construction site guarding Tazuna and his build crew.

"You know, that's pretty distracting when I'm trying to concentrate Uzumaki!"

"You know, you're gonna have to deal with distractions in a fight Uchiha! Besides, think of the children!"

Inari and a small crowd of other children had gathered, watching the impromptu fireworks display Naruko would periodically throw out, cheering every time she did. They cheered louder when she'd send a clone out to scoop up the resulting stunned or dead fish, tossing it to the kids who would run off home with their unexpected bounty. Naruko made sure that Inari got a bunch of good ones for Tsunami.

Sasuke huffed in a disgruntled manner and continued with his training, raging in his own mind about how much more powerful Naruko was than him and trying to figure out how he could get that powerful. Unfortunately for him, this made his control all the more worse, making him fall from his current perch.

Normally Naruko would offer to help someone struggling as much as Sasuke was. She really liked helping people train, having discovered a penchant for it when she had become friends with Tenten and Lee. But she didn't like Sasuke and he didn't like her. And she knew that if she offered he would only scoff at and insult her.

Naruko let her mind wander and her hands move on their own, painting some seal she wasn't paying particular attention to, eyes watching but not quite seeing. She wouldn't have to worry about blowing herself up as long as she didn't channel any energy through it. She remained like this for several hours, pretty much ignoring the world, trusting her **Kage Bunshin** sentries to keep an eye on things. Her hands weren't moving very fast, in fact their pace was quite slow, sometimes coming to a complete stop after finishing a stroke, pausing for several minutes, the brush being held away from the seal so as not to make splotches or puddles.

Her thoughts primarily concerned Gato, and the potential raid of his base of operations. If she got favorable information from her clones tonight, then she could bring it up with Kakashi again and move on the shipping magnate once he gave the go ahead. Possible plans went through her mind. Tearing the whole place apart with vacuum waves, collapsing it on everyone inside – discarded, she wanted to loot the place and that would make it too difficult and more than likely destroy something valuable. Running in with a horde of clones, slaughtering every thug and criminal she found – That one was pretty damn appealing. But the one she was liking the most was going in there with a horde of clones, capturing everyone inside, and marching them to the village square where she would turn them over to the people of Wave, probably subjecting them all to a savage beating and execution.

In her peripheral thoughts was that fake Hunter that had saved Zabuza. She had been defeated so quickly, but she had lived. So how could she improve herself from that defeat? She needed more defensive capability. She had some supplementary and offensive techniques, but no outright protective Jutsu.

When she finally came out of her thoughts, it was several hours later, and the sun was just setting on the horizon, giving off that glorious orange glow. Hinata was approaching her, likely to tell her that dinner was almost ready. Naruko blinked, giving her head a small shake to wake herself up. She found herself lightly biting the wooden handle of her brush, the bristles drooping to the left of her mouth, and a complex seal on the table in front of her framed by her hands.

"Naruko-Chan, dinners ready." Hinata called out to her.

Naruko waved at her, grabbing the brush from her mouth in her other hand and staring down at the seal she'd made, deciphering what it did. "Thanks Hina-Chan, go on ahead of me. I'll be in in a bit, just gotta pack everything up."

"Alright, don't be too long, or else it'll get cold." Hinata turned and made her way back to the house.

"Okay, now what do you do?" Naruko muttered to herself, leaning over the seal. It was more complicated than all of her previous work, but by no means the work of a master. She traced the precise line lengths and curves with her eyes, slowly building out what it did in her head. This wasn't an art that could be rushed; every mark had a purpose and effect. A few minutes later she had it figured out.

"A barrier?" She cocked her head curiously.

"_Very good Naru-Chan. Yes, you've built a seal for a pretty powerful barrier. But from what I can tell it's not quite complete yet. It's functional as it is, but there's still more to be added to strengthen it." _Mune's voice echoed in her head.

Curious she channeled her chakra into it, resulting in a blue-white colored field erupting from it with a light crackling noise followed by a quiet hum, about the size of her torso. It was mostly transparent, giving what was on the other side of it a light blue tint and there were many straight white opaque lines originating from its center, reaching out to the edge.

"Oooh, cool. No time to test it or think about applications though." Cutting off the flow of chakra the field was sucked back into the seal.

Naruko quickly screwed the lid back on her open ink well, rolled up her current scroll and got everything put away, stuffing them back in their storage seals in her jacket. Slinging the jacket over her shoulder, and pulling on her Tekko, she picked up the small table and made her way back to the house.

After bringing the table to the study it had been in Naruko settled into what had become her place at the table next to Hinata, looking at the much more voluminous meal on the table. Tsunami had been quite pleased with the bounty of fish Naruko had come up with and distributed, and judging from everyone's expressions were quite eager to dig in. She had arrived just as Tsunami placed the last plate on the table.

"Everything looks delicious Tsunami-Nee. You just might've outdone yourself."

"Thank you Naruko-Chan. It's all thanks to the fish you caught today."

Naruko smiled wider, "Just a happy side effect of my training today."

After finishing their meal, Team 7 met outside the house so they could relay status reports to each other.

"Well, the bridge is being built as planned, though a little behind schedule. The workers are growing more fearful of retribution the closer they get to finishing it." Kakashi said, leaning against a tree, hands in his pockets. "What did you two do today?"

Sasuke grunted, "I've finished the tree climbing exercise. I can reach the top reliably."

"I've been working on my Fuinjutsu. It's coming along quite nicely if I do say so myself." Just then she paused, eyes glazing momentarily.

"My clones report that Gato's base is still as horribly guarded as ever. Can I take it out tomorrow night? We've been watching it for almost a week now and I'd like to take it out before Zabuza recovers."

Kakashi considered her for a moment. "If I do let you, what will you do?"

"Send in a legion of shadow clones and fuck them up at night. I intend to capture them alive and drag them into the village square, unarmed and helpless. But if I can't do that, then I'll just kill em all."

"And where will you be?"

"The house, looking after the family while you all take care of Tazuna, assuming Sasuke really _does_ have the tree walking exercise down." She taunted the Uchiha, getting a glare from him.

"Okay!" Kakashi said cheerfully. There would be no harm in doing this that he could see. There would be no direct threat to him, their client, or anyone on Team 7. If Gato did indeed have more ninja forces they would be revealed during Naruko's raid. If it spooked Gato into calling in more ninja, it would be too late because there was no way they could be deployed in time to reach Gato. Kiri wouldn't help him due to the fact that he was employing a team of rogue ninja that originated from that village, in fact they would probably attack him. Suna wouldn't help him once he told them it was Konoha-nin they would be fighting against due to the alliance they had. And there were no other hidden villages close enough that could be contacted. Every other hidden village was at least halfway across the continent.

And if all else failed, then she could just have her clones do that really cool **Renzoku Shinkuha Kohai**. That'd tear the whole thing down real fast.

"Woo!" Naruko celebrated, both arms jumping above her head. Then she paused mid cheer, a thought occurring to her that nearly had her smacking herself for overlooking it.

"Wait! Change of plans! Kakashi-Sensei, we need a skilled Yamanaka. I want to capture Gato and take over _all_ of his assets. His money, business, properties, wares, whatever we can squeeze out of the bastard. To do that to the optimum level, we need a mind walker."

Kakashi's eye widened. He hadn't even thought of that. He'd gotten sloppy. Very sloppy. Like when he was about to just let the fake Hunter take off with Zabuza's body, ignoring the rather hefty bounty on his head. There would be no one that would miss Gato, and it would net Konoha a massive profit, even after donating a large portion of it to Wave's reconstruction, bringing untold amounts of good will to their village, which meant future missions and ideal diplomatic ventures. A profit beyond even at least a dozen S-Rank missions. Gato was after all worth upwards of forty five billion Ryo.

And Naruko was going to get that 15% finders fee for coming up with it. Meaning probably around seven billion ryo for her. The team would get a much smaller cut of that, for having participated as much as they had, as would the Yamanaka involved, but it was Naruko who came up with it and was making it possible.

"Very good idea Naruko…" He said, carefully keeping the disbelief out of his voice, trying to come to terms with how sloppy he'd become. "We'll write up a status report and request and send it to Konoha."

A few minutes later Naruko had written it up because Kakashi hated writing up these sorts of things.

"Watch carefully girls and guy, I'm about to show you a summoning jutsu. They're some of the rarest techniques in the world, requiring contracts with a race or animal." Kakashi sliced a small cut on his thumb, getting a tiny drop of blood to bead up on it.

"Summoning always requires a small blood sacrifice, and most summons have the same seal sequence. Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Ram." He said, going through each seal as he said them, followed by touching his palm to the ground, **"Kuchiyose no jutsu. (Summoning)"** A summoning array spreading out from under his hand, followed by a puff of smoke before a small brown dog wearing a blue cape and Konoha Hitai-ate appeared.

"Yo!" The dog spoke in a gruff voice. "What's up Kakashi?"

"Evening Pakkun, I have a message I need delivered to the Hokage ASAP. Also, now's a good time to introduce you to my Genin team." Kakashi turned and pointed to each member of his team as he introduced them. "Hyuuga Hinata, my favorite cause she's nice to me, Uchiha Sasuke, the moody one, and Uzumaki Naruko, the scarily crafty and happy one." Leaning down and whispering very quietly so only Pakkun could hear him, Kakashi said, "Do not comment on the Yondaime, Naruko-Chan really doesn't like him." Pakkun did not react, having been well trained as a Ninken to keep his reactions discrete.

"So you actually took a team. I didn't think you'd ever approve of one at the rate you were going."

Kakashi gave a helpless shrug. "Well, these three were just better than the others."

"Well good, nice to meet ya kids. I'm Pakkun, Kakashi's first Ninken and generally his messenger service."

"Nice to meet you too Pakkun-Chan." Hinata smiled cheerfully, crouching down and petting the pug.

Sasuke just gave his normal disinterested 'hn', and waited to be dismissed.

"A talking dog…Cool!" Naruko joined Hinata in giving him a good scratch behind the ears, the pug clearly enjoying the attention from the two girls.

"Anyways! I didn't call you out here to be fawned over by my girls, I need you to get this to the Hokage. It's important." Kakashi said, taking the scroll case from Naruko and slipping into a storage seal under Pakkun's cape.

"Alright Kakashi, I'll get going. It'll take me about a day and a half to get there from here." Kakashi nodded and getting one last scratch from Naruko the pug darted off in a blur.

"Kakashi-Sensei, how's he going to get across the water?" Hinata asked him, staring after the dog.

Kakashi was silent for a moment before his right hand smacked into his face with a muffled thump. "Naruko, can you make a Shadow Clone and carry him across? I know you have enough Chakra for it." He kept his face palm position; feeling rather embarrassed at how much he was slipping. He'd have to re work his own training and conditioning.

Naruko giggled and gave him a jaunty salute. "Yes sir Derp-Sensei!" Forming a cross seal a single clone burst into existence, already running after the dog, who she found, paws raising and lowering, dancing in place trying to figure out how he was going to get across. She swept him up, getting a surprised yelp out of him, and ran across the water, reaching the other side in forty minutes.

"Team dismissed." The Genin all went off to kill time until they went to sleep. "I'll take first watch." He called after them. He'd wake up Sasuke, who'd wake up Naruko, who'd probably let Hinata stay asleep, taking her watch as well, who would scold her later on for doing so.

* * *

The next afternoon is when things started getting violent again. Naruko was lying on the roof to Tsunami's house enjoying the nice weather and watching the clouds. A pastime she had picked up from Shikamaru, just to a much lesser degree. She was the only one currently watching the house, so she didn't want to divide her attention by continuing her studies, and she had about a thousand clones surrounding and infiltrating Gato's manor.

The rest of Team 7 was at the construction site with Tazuna, Kakashi deciding that further training was too risky. It was getting into the time frame that Zabuza may have recovered so he wanted as much manpower with Tazuna as he could get. Kakashi would be surprised if the missing-nin was up and about already, but he'd found that allowing for a margin of error of a couple days was prudent in their profession. If Zabuza bypassed them by going after Tazuna's family, he was pretty sure Naruko could get them out. She was faster than he was after all. If Naruko really wanted to get away from someone, odds were that she'd get away.

Hearing unfamiliar footsteps, Naruko sat up, and looked down upon two samurai. One was tall, dark skinned, and scarred with his brown hair tied in a messy top knot. He was missing his right eye and had multiple tattoos over his torso, on clear display due to his lack of a shirt. The other was light skinned, with light blue hair under a black hat and had thin purple tattoos under his eyes. Both were carrying a katana and approaching the house with clear ill intent.

Before they got within ten feet of the door Naruko dropped down a few feet in front of them, landing silently despite her heavy weight.

"Well, well, what have we here? A couple of lowlifes looking to make life harder for honest hard working people I believe." Naruko had her hands stuffed in her jacket pockets and stared at them disinterestedly.

The two drew their weapons with bloodthirsty smiles. "You better get out of the way girly. I'd hate to mar that pretty face of yours." The light haired one said, trying to intimidate her.

Naruko rolled her eyes, deciding to do away with the dramatics and unleashed a concentrated flow of killing intent at the two, making them drop their swords and start shaking violently. The two stopped breathing, sweat dripping down their faces as their eyes were locked on Naruko in terror as dark stains grew between their legs.

"Enough of the banter, I'm bored of you already. You're going to tell me what you're doing here…_right_?" Her killing intent flared stronger briefly, getting quick nods out of both of them. She dialed it back so they could speak.

"G-G-Gato-Sama ordered us to take the bridge builder's family hostage to make him stop construction. H-he said that we could do whatever we liked with them as long as they were kept alive." The scarred one stuttered out.

"Why did he send you now of all times?"

"B-because today's when he plans to move on the bridge and deal with Tazuna personally. He wanted more leverage."

"Did Gato send anyone else?"

"N-no. We're Gato's best p-personnel. We're all that was sent." The light haired one got out, trying to muster up some bravado.

"Well, that's all I need from you." Naruko said, cutting off her killing intent. The pair immediately sprinted back into the forest, back the way they came from, not even grabbing the swords they'd dropped.

Naruko let them get a few blocks away from the house before she picked up their swords and hurled them at the two. The blades pierced their legs, sending them stumbling to the ground, crying out in surprise and pain. Naruko jumped over to them as they clutched their legs.

"I said that's all I need from you, not that I'm done with you." The smile on her face was terrifying to them as she stomped on the dark skinned mans right bicep. "You and every other thug working for Gato have to be _punished_." She took a firm hold of his arm and broke it at the wrist, elbow and shoulder, making him scream in agony.

The pair could only watch and beg for mercy as she broke every joint in both men's arms and legs, before she generated two clones, one immediately dispelling to inform the rest of her clones of what had happened and the other dragging the disabled criminals to the village square, their mangled limbs jerking painfully across the ground. Their pleas would go unanswered, as Naruko had no tolerance for people like them. She was certain that these two were thieves, murderers and probably rapists as well, so they deserved no mercy. These two would be the advance delivery it seemed.

Quickly informing Tsunami of the situation and telling her to take Inari and hang out in the village and keep out of Gato's sight, Naruko took off for the bridge, blurring out of sight. Hopefully she would get there before things started. It was only five minutes away at the pace she was going.

* * *

Kakashi, Sasuke and Hinata were all scattered around the construction site, keeping watch for trouble, while the construction crew went about their work.

A few hours into the day, just as people were breaking for lunch a thick mist rolled its way in. The workers all paused and looked around in confusion, while the shinobi all tensed, congregating around Tazuna.

"Tazuna, send your people home. Construction is done for the day." Kakashi instructed their client as he revealed his Sharingan.

Nodding Tazuna waved at his workers and called out, "Work's done for today everyone. We'll continue later, go home." They looked at him confusedly as they began packing up.

"Oh no no, you can't leave yet. We've only just arrived, and you'll hurt our feelings if you leave so soon." Zabuza's voice echoed around them, the mist concealing his presence.

All of the workers froze, heads swiveling around in fear.

"Byakugan!" Hinata said in a whispered shout, activating her bloodline. "…Four enemies present Kakashi-Sensei. Two in front, two behind."

"Hmph, what a troublesome little girl you have there. Where's the blonde brat?"

"Oh nowhere special." Kakashi said, thinking about the operation Naruko's clones were conducting. "You should really worry about us. You won't be able to take us by surprise after all." Kakashi gave a sharp whistle, getting the workers attention and waved them all to get in the middle with Tazuna. It would make protecting them both easier and more difficult, but it would be better than having them all strewn about to picked off one at a time. Easier because they'd be in one place, more difficult because it made the perimeter the three would have to maintain larger. But with Hinata's eyes, it should be doable.

"Sasuke your left! Sensei, right!" Hinata called out, pointing out several projectiles which the two were able to deflect, while Hinata slapped another out of the air on her right. This would continue for several minutes, Hinata calling out enemy positions and projectiles and her teammates responding.

During another volley multiple clones of Zabuza condensed out of the mist, in mid swing with their swords. They were easily dispatched by the team, creating large puddles of water.

Kakashi grit his teeth trying to figure out what to do. If anyone left their position Tazuna and his crew would be slaughtered, but if they didn't go on the attack then they could never defeat Zabuza and his men who were free to continue taking pot shots at the group. Kakashi had just deflected another volley of shuriken and senbon when a very familiar voice called out in a deadpan.

"Oh no, the mist is so thick I can't see. Whatever will I **Daitoppa!**" A strong gust blew out from the starting point of the bridge, quickly blowing away all of the mist. The source of the voice became visible, Naruko strolling down the bridge, Mastermune over her shoulder. "Oh nooooo, what happened? Did the wind blow away your mist?" Naruko said in the exact tone she had when she blew away Zabuza's mist the first time.

Without the mist everyone could now see Zabuza, the fake Hunter and the Demon Brothers Gozu and Meizu, all staring at Naruko. Zabuza and the Demon Brothers were growling at her in frustration and annoyance. Their masked comrade on the other hand let out a giggle that was quickly suppressed and covered up with a clearing of their throat when Zabuza turned to glare at her, looking up and away from him.

Kakashi, seeing the tides turn shouted out his orders. "Naruko, the hunter! Sasuke, Hinata, the brothers! Leave Zabuza to me!"

Not bothering to verbally reply, Naruko blurred in front of the hunter, ramming shoulder first into Haku and carrying her away from the others. Sasuke and Hinata engaged the Demon Brothers, attempting to separate the two from each other. Kakashi intercepted Zabuza's attempt to take advantage of the now open civilians, catching his sword with a kunai.

"Tazuna! Get clear of the bridge!"

The workers didn't need to be told twice as they ran towards land, past all of the fighting shinobi.

* * *

Sasuke and Hinata stood across from the two Demon Brothers, examining them. They were looking rather different from their first encounter. They were missing the breathers that had been covering their mouths and noses, and were lacking the large clawed gauntlets the pair had been using before. Naruko still had their equipment in one of her storage scrolls. The two were looking rather angry at the group of Konoha-nin.

"Let's see how tough you two are without your fancy claws and mist to hide behind." Sasuke goaded them with a confident smirk.

"Now that you mention it, where _are_ our things?" Gozu, the brother with a single horn bolted to the top of his Hitai-ate asked them. He was the calmer of the two, managing to control the level of his voice, while his brother Meizu, the one with two horns bolted to his Hitai-ate seemed to be struggling to keep himself from charging.

"Safe." Hinata said calmly, not letting her guard down.

"Ragh! Fuck this! I'm going to kill you with my bare hands!" Meizu charged at Hinata, pulling out a pair of kunai.

As he reached her, he attempted to stab her with both knives in the gut with a rising stab that would pierce under her ribs and into her lungs. Hinata stopped the attack, jabbing his wrists with her finger tips, making his hands go numb and lose their grip on his weapons, then pushed him back with a double palm strike to the chest. If Hinata were any other Hyuuga, he'd be dead now.

As Meizu stumbled back, Gozu jumped over him aiming straight for Hinata, only to be kicked to the side by Sasuke, who followed after the man as he was knocked away.

"Keep them separate! They've been working together their entire careers!" Sasuke called out at her as he pursued his target.

Hinata nodded sharply and determinedly, positioning herself between Meizu and his brother. Meizu was glaring at her his teeth showing in a vicious glower as he shook out his hands, trying to work some feeling back into them. Figuring that he'd be much better off keeping away from Hinata, his hands began struggling in vain to form seals.

Hinata charged him, interrupting his attempted Jutsu. Meizu attempted to kick at her, but Hinata flowed around his leg, jabbing it in precise locations, cutting off chakra flow and temporarily paralyzing the leg. When she got closer to his torso, he tried punching at her, but he couldn't manipulate his own fingers into a fist. Ducking under the attack she brought her palms to her waist before shoving them both in an upwards strike, catching him under the chin and in the solar plexus, sending him falling to the floor, his head smacking hard against the stone.

Meizu sat up in a daze, unable to get back to his feet. He drunkenly swiped his right arm at Hinata who was a few feet away, well out of his range, watching him concernedly.

"I'm sorry, please give up now. I'd rather not have to keep hurting you if you'd let me." Hinata was poking her fingers together in worry, hoping that Naruko wouldn't catch her falling back on one of her old habits of hesitation.

Meizu let out a lot of unintelligible noises, still swiping at the air in front of him before slumping over on his side unconscious.

Hinata cautiously checked his condition, finding a steady pulse and the man firmly knocked out. She let out a breath of relief and checked on the other fights. Kakashi was handling Zabuza, it seemed rather tough, but she knew that she'd just be a distraction for her Sensei if she tried to help. Sasuke was handling Gozu just fine, he wouldn't need her help and would probably get angry if she tried to. Naruko seemed to be having the time of her life, fighting with the fake hunter, and Hinata didn't think she'd be able to keep up with that fight anyways. She could hardly even see the two moving, they were blurring all over the place. She was only able to see it at all because of the increased powers of perception the Byakugan gave her.

Hinata noticed that Tazuna and his crew were gathered at the starting point of the bridge watching them from a good distance away, and decided that she had better stand guard over them. There could always be another threat that they hadn't noticed yet. Hinata quickly pulled out some ninja wire and bound Meizu's hands and ankles together, paying special attention to the fingers so he wouldn't be able to form hand seals, made a quick search for hidden weaponry, and dragged him away from the remaining fights.

* * *

Sasuke caught a punch on the side of his elbow, retaliating with a low sweep kick. Gozu lightly hopped over it and descended with an axe kick aimed at Sasuke's head. He managed to roll out of the way, leaving Gozu's heel to smack into the floor.

Before Gozu could regain his fighting stance, Sasuke's left knee collided with the side of his face, sending him rolling across the ground. Sasuke quickly followed up with a barrage of shuriken that impaled the Kiri missing-nin in the arms and torso.

"You're no match for me. You weren't a week ago, and you aren't now. You should really surrender."

Gozu said nothing, instead choosing to roll through some hand seals. **"Suiton: Teppodama! (Water Bullet)"** He spat out a series of water balls, travelling at speeds high enough to pierce straight through a man's body.

Sasuke jumped over the attack, into a flying kick that smashed into his enemy's nose, breaking it with a crack.

As he fell backwards from the attack, Gozu latched onto Sasuke's foot, and swung him around, slamming him into the stonework of the bridge. Lifting Sasuke's leg up and away, Gozu stomped down at his crotch.

Managing to recover from his meeting with the floor, Sasuke moved his free leg so Gozu's attack would hit his knee. Wincing at the pain now radiating through his femur, Sasuke decided that it was a worthwhile move and quickly formed his own seals. **"Katon: Kasai Shotto! (Fire Shot)"** A ball of fire about the size of Sasuke's head burst out of his lips, colliding with Gozu's chest, setting his cloak on fire.

Gozu cried out in surprise, and flailed a bit trying in vain to extinguish the fire. Sasuke took advantage and got back to his feet, spinning into a powerful back kick that collided with Gozu's chest, sending him back a few feet.

Gozu managed to keep his balance, finally tearing the burning garment off, revealing a few small burns on his chest and arms, the blue under tunic charred in the chest region. Keeping a hold on the cloak, ignoring the tongues of fire licking at his hand he dashed at Sasuke, who settled into a defensive stance.

Gozu flung the cloak ahead of him, blocking Sasuke's view of him as he hopped backwards, avoiding being covered in the burning improvised weapon, only for Gozu to have leapt into it himself, turning into a large burning projectile that slammed into Sasuke.

Gozu quickly rolled off of the boy, managing to shrug off the cloak, leaving it sitting on Sasuke's form, hearing him scream in pain. Gozu smirked, looking at the burning pile before Sasuke appeared behind him, both hands descending like a sledgehammer to the back of his head, knocking the man unconscious, nearly falling into the fire in front of him.

The cloak burnt away enough that Sasuke could see a charred sack of cement mix through the holes in the cloak. Having defeated his opponent, Sasuke could now check on his teammates. Hinata had already finished hers and was in the process of dragging him off towards the builders, probably so she could protect them from anything unexpected. Kakashi was still fighting Zabuza, both having multiple superficial injuries, and Naruko and that Hunter were darting around in a very high speed fight. Since he wasn't stupid enough to interfere with Kakashi's fight by himself, he'd settle in and wait for an opening in Naruko's fight. He'd finally be able to get one over on the blonde if he managed to defeat her opponent first.

* * *

Kakashi ducked a horizontal sweep from the Kubikiribocho, tossing several shuriken at Zabuza's thighs. Using the momentum generated from his swords attack, Zabuza jumped into a butterfly kick, over the shuriken, that skimmed Kakashi's mask as he leaned back. Continuing with that movement Zabuza kept spinning, rapidly building speed and making multiple horizontal slashes at varying elevations.

Zabuza looked something like a steel tornado as he chased after Kakashi's retreating form. Before Zabuza was able to do anything more than make slight nicks in his arms and clothing, Kakashi managed to jump clear of him, running through hand seals. **"Raiton: Shogeki no Ame! (Spark Rain)" **Still in the air, Kakashi stabbed both hands out in Zabuza's direction, multiple thin bolts of electricity jumping out from his fingers, larger bolts coming from between both arms.

Each bolt homed in on Zabuza's sword, attracted to the man waving the massive slab of sharp, conductive metal around.

Zabuza was of course quite familiar with the phenomenon, having been wielding his sword for most of his Shinobi Career and quickly stabbed it into the stone bridge in front of him, making a partial shield for himself and sending the electrical attack harmlessly dispersing into the floor. Hiding his hands behind the frame of his sword that now had electricity arcing along its length, he performed his own jutsu.

"**Suiton: Mizu Yari! (Water Spear)"** The water that had spread all over the bridge from the dispersal of his clones jumped up from the floor in lances the size of Kakashi's arm, all lancing straight for the Copy Ninja, and charged with his own electricity.

Using a large chunk of his chakra, Kakashi substituted himself with Zabuza's sword, yanking it clear out of the bridge, leaving a not inconsiderable gash in the stonework. The water spears collided with Zabuza's blade, sending it spinning high into the air.

Seeing Kakashi appear where his sword was, Zabuza quickly punched out at him, as Kakashi sent his own punch. Both fighters caught the others attack, now glaring into each other's faces.

"If that blonde wasn't here, you'd all already be dead Hatake!" If Zabuza had been able to use his mist properly then Kakashi's Sharingan would be far diminished in its effectiveness. As it was, Zabuza wasn't certain he could defeat him.

"Well then I guess it's a good thing that she _is_ here." Kakashi slammed his forehead into Zabuza's the metal of his Hitai-ate connecting solidly with the cloth wrappings of Zabuza's own.

Zabuza's head rocked back and he lost his hold on Kakashi's fist, but Kakashi maintained his grip on Zabuza pulling him into a jumping knee strike to his now exposed throat. Still in the air Kakashi drew a kunai in his free hand and attempted to slam it straight down into the top of Zabuza's skull, only for the man to use Kakashi's own hold on him to tug him out of balance, spinning around rapidly before slamming him back first through the nearby iron railing and sending them both over the edge to the water down below.

Colliding with the water after a several story fall knocked the wind out of both men, and guaranteed a nice, body long bruise while they recovered, and resulted in separating the two.

Zabuza knew this was his chance, with Haku distracting that blonde brat and the Hyuuga still up top on the bridge looking after the bridge builder and his crew, he could still win this fight. He scrambled to the surface of the water, beating Kakashi by several crucial moments as he began gathering and molding his chakra for his **Kirigakure no Jutsu**. Before he could complete his technique, Kakashi surfaced under him, a Kunai arcing up towards his neck. Cursing, Zabuza initiated his technique before it was ready, getting a thin mist to build up, slightly obscuring their vision, but nowhere near the degree Zabuza wanted, and jumped back out of Kakashi's range.

Above them a large burst of snow, ice and rock raced over the edge of the bridge, raining down around him. Zabuza's eyes narrowed. Haku had been pushed to use such a powerful Jutsu? If that was the case, then that blonde was more dangerous than he thought, and Haku would be running low on chakra.

Kakashi charged after Zabuza, Sharingan spinning rapidly as it did its best to predict Zabuza's movements through the mist.

"I have the advantage now Kakashi! Water is my element!" Several water clones rose up from the water and charged Kakashi, who dispatched them easily.

"That was pathetic Zabuza! Just a waste of chakra!"

"It wasn't meant to do anything but stall you! **Suiton: Daun Hirateuchi Hasai! (Crushing Slap Down)"** Zabuza raised his right hand and slashed it down, palm downwards, a massive arm of water forming and following his movement, the palm smacking right down on Kakashi who was pushed underwater again, tumbling wildly through the liquid. Zabuza slumped panting in fatigue, hoping Kakashi had been rendered unconscious, but knowing it wouldn't be that easy.

Just as Kakashi pulled himself back above the water with a gasp, a mirror made of Ice rose up next to Zabuza from the water, the handle of his sword jutting out of it. Zabuza grinned and laughed triumphantly, grasping the handle and pulling the weapon fully from the icy surface. Once he had pulled it out fully the mirror collapsed back into the water.

"I certainly do have the best tool!"

* * *

Naruko carried Haku several meters away from everyone else before she stopped sending the black haired girl flying back several feet to land on the ground and roll back to her feet.

"I've got a bone to pick with you little miss 'Stab Stab Kill'. It really wasn't pleasant being impaled by all those needles."

"Just how did you live exactly? I was almost certain you were dead."

"That's for me to know, and you to desperately wonder about." Naruko rolled her shoulders and brought the Mastermune into her ready position. "I think I'll take that sweet mask of yours as a souvenir after I've kicked your ass."

"If you think you can beat me, then by all means, try." Haku's arms blurred, a flurry of Senbon needles racing towards Naruko.

The Mastermune came up one blade knocking a few away before Naruko tilted it several times, blocking the rest and charged Haku.

The two were both blurs to anyone who tried watching them, one blue and black, the other orange, purple and gold. Clangs rang out as their weapons collided, sparks momentarily jumping out from their weapons.

Haku caught the Mastermune on one of her Senbon, a thin coating of very hard ice over the needle. Underneath her mask sweat was beginning to bead at her hairline. This fight would be very difficult for her. Naruko was on par with her in speed and was far more suited to close combat than Haku was. Haku's skill set was optimized for mid ranged combat and generally focused on her extreme speed and precision to defeat her enemies.

Haku quickly formed three six inch ice claws over the knuckles of her left hand and swiped at Naruko, only to have the blonde kick her arm away and quickly smash her foot into the side of her head, sending her skipping across the stones.

Not giving her a chance to recover, Naruko chased after her. From the surface of the bridge a wall of ice spikes erupted, nearly skewering the blonde. Hopping a few feet away from the spikes, Naruko brought her left hand in a half prayer symbol in front of her smiling lips. **"Inseki!"** A large ball of white light careened through the clouds behind Naruko, on course to smash into Haku's prone form. A thin sheet of ice formed under the Hunter, and she quickly sunk into it, just barely avoiding the meteor that crashed through the edge of the bridge, taking a chunk of it off.

"Oops!" Naruko said, seeing the collateral damage. She didn't have any time to worry about it before more the tips of the ice spikes shot out from the barrier Haku had formed, quickly followed by the girl herself, throwing more of her Senbon.

Naruko cart wheeled to her left, a few of the Senbon clanging off of her Suneate.

Suddenly their fight was interrupted by Zabuza's sword piercing the floor right in front of Haku.

"Huh? Zabuza-Sama!" Haku turned her head, just catching sight of the Demon of the Mist going over the edge of the bridge with Kakashi.

"Kakashi-Sensei!" Naruko cried out, watching them tumble over the edge.

The two girls quickly brought their attention back to their opponents. Haku took hold of the Kubikiribocho's hilt, and began yanking it from the stone. It had pierced it pretty deeply so it was taking Haku a moment.

Naruko Charged, throwing a pair of shuriken that arced around the massive cleaver, which were intercepted by a pair of senbon darting away from Haku's left hand. Naruko just reached the girl as she tore the blade from the bridge, and swung the blade in a rising slash that Naruko caught on the handle of the Mastermune. The sheer power of the attack managed to break her hasty guard and slash straight through her shirt, exposing her sports bra and toss her backwards. Naruko had felt the cold edge stroke across her abdomen, but the density of her skin had kept it from making her bleed.

"Well that was close…" Naruko said, patting at her belly, reassuring herself that she hadn't been gutted. "You continue to surprise me with your strength Hunter. First by stopping my slash in our first meeting, and now by tearing that big ass, probably compensating for something, cleaver from the floor and knocking me away with it."

Haku stuck the sword to her back. It would slow her down a bit, but she needed to get it back to Zabuza if he was going to defeat Kakashi.

Naruko tensed as she saw Haku's hands rise to the middle of her torso. Her jaw dropped when both hands began going through separate seal sequences, both blurring at the speed of their creation, and she reached into her jacket, unsealing the new barrier seal she'd made the previous evening, quickly unrolling it in front of her as Haku finished her technique.

"**Hijutsu: Kori no Arashi ga abare! (Rampaging Ice Storm)"** Chunks of ice in every shape and size snapped into existence around Haku and flew straight at Naruko, spurred on by the incredibly strong wind blowing at Haku's back, throwing her hair out in front of her. Haku had combined her Ice creation abilities and the power of wind to accelerate her constructs to a devastatingly high velocity.

Naruko's eyes widened at seeing the mass of icy chaos storming towards her, gouging out chunks of stone from the surface of the bridge and carrying them along with the ice. Its range was too wide and its speed too fast for her to avoid it, even as fast as she was. Her barrier scroll now rolled out fully in front of her, Naruko ducked down behind it, minimizing her size and shoved as much chakra as she could through the scroll, summoning a large blue-white transparent barrier.

A split second later she felt the ice and stone pounding on the shield, straining her chakra and arms, the wind howled mercilessly around her, the extreme pressure of it slicing open her exposed flesh and tearing holes in her pants and the remains of her shirt. Her jacket was fine due to the endurance seals she had placed on it when she first got it. The leather thong holding her hair up was quickly severed, leaving her hair to flap around uncontrolled. A few moments later, that seemed like an hour to everyone watching the storm died out, revealing the entire section of that bridge to be covered in snow, ice chunks ranging from the size of a golf ball to a human torso, and chunks of stone lying all over.

Naruko's barrier sputtered out of existence, the scroll it was painted on sizzling along the sealing ink before erupting into flames. Both combatants were now panting for breath, shoulders heaving lightly. Haku at the massive expenditure of chakra, and Naruko at being unable to breath for the last few minutes.

"I gotta hand it to ya Hunter. That was _the most Badass thing I've ever seen_. If I hadn't accidentally made that barrier seal yesterday I'd have been torn apart by that monster!" Naruko was looking at the devastation caused by the attack in wonder, blood lightly dripping down her face from her forehead and cheeks. There were also small nicks on her fingers and toes, and gashes on her torso and legs staining the cloth around them with her blood.

"But you look like you're just about burned out. Maybe not the best play Nee-Sama." Naruko zipped up her burnt orange jacket, covering up everything an inch and a half above her naval.

"Aww, I was enjoying the sight. Did you have to zip up? But I'm not out of this yet Naruko-Chan." Haku gasped out. She was moving her hands together to create another hand seal when Sasuke came barreling at her from the side, interrupting her.

"Stay out of my way boy! You're just a pest!" Haku deftly launched a wave a Senbon at the Uchiha, some lodging in his legs, hitting pressure points and nerve clusters, making him stumble and fall, as he deflected the others.

Haku launched another salvo aimed at his head and neck that were destroyed by a **Koshi-Sen **from a still breathless Naruko. The white beam had enveloped the needles, knocking them off course and shattering the thin metal.

"Stay out of it Uchiha! She's beyond your ability to fight, even in this state."

Sasuke growled furiously, yanking the needles from his legs with painful cries.

"Shut the hell up Uzumaki! It's about time for me to prove that I'm the superior one here!" Once again he turned to charge at Haku, who had taken the opportunity to close the distance and slash him across the torso with the Kubikiribocho, following the momentum of the swing and adding it to her leg power she kicked Sasuke in the throat, launching him several meters away. She hadn't cut him too deeply, so he would survive if he got treated in time, but he was out of the fight now.

Planting the massive sword in front of her, the blade diagonal to the ground, she stopped a swing from the Mastermune, and brought her leg up into a high kick, blocked by Naruko's left arm. Balancing herself in mid air with the handle of the Kubikiribocho, Haku brought her other leg up and kicked Naruko in the collar bone, sending her stumbling back.

Maneuvering her body so she could stand on the end of the Kubikiribocho's hilt, Haku formed a hand seal with both hands, blue waves of chakra emanating off of her.

"**Hijutsu: Makyo Hyosho! (Demonic Ice Mirrors)" **Twenty one mirrors of Ice grew into existence, surrounding Naruko. They flashed into existence in a few seconds, not giving Naruko a chance to get out from between them, especially with the damage to her legs.

Haku took a deep breath and released it, grabbing Zabuza's sword back up and jumped into the nearest Ice Mirror. To Naruko it looked like Haku's figure had just melted into the ice, and now she was surrounded by twenty one identical Hunters.

"_I only have enough Chakra left for about ten minutes of this, so I'll have to be quick."_ One more mirror formed down on the water where Zabuza and Kakashi were fighting. From within her cold wall, she gently pushed through the hilt of the Kubikiribocho to Zabuza, happiness fluttering through her at hearing his approval. Her side mission done, she turned her attention back to the bleeding blonde.

"Please surrender Naruko-Chan. Now that I've captured you in this ice prison, you cannot defeat me, and I would prefer it if we didn't have to fight."

"I can't do that Hunter-San. If I am to fulfill my dream, and therefore the dream of my most precious person, then I cannot be taken down here. I will continue to fight for him. If it comes down to it, I'm prepared to die for him, giving everything I can for him."

For a few moments Haku was silent in remorse. "That's what I thought you'd say…It is difficult for me to become a true shinobi. I don't like killing people. If it were at all possible, I'd prefer not to kill you, or make you kill me. But if you are going to fight me or Zabuza-Sama, then I will kill my compassion and become a true shinobi. Here on this bridge you are fighting for your dream, just as I am fighting for mine. Please do not hold any grudge against me. I want to protect an important person. I want to work for him, fight for him, and make his dreams come true." Haku's voice was soft, almost reverent as she thought of Zabuza, before her voice hardened with conviction and brown eyes sharpened behind her mask. "_That_ is my dream, and in order to fulfill it, I will become a true shinobi, and I will kill you!"

* * *

**End Chapter! Things are getting really violent! Haku was such a tragic character, and I've been having a lot of fun writing her parts. So much fun to the point that most of the other parts may have been rushed. Also, thought I'd get more out of the Demon Brothers than I did so far, but whatever! They didn't exactly have a lot for me to work with.**

**Also! If anyone is confused, Naruko does not know that Haku is the one behind the mask.**

**Also also, Omake!**

Who Has the Better Prodigy?

Zabuza pulled his sword from the ice mirror Haku had just created, laughing triumphantly. "I certainly do have the best tool!"

Just then a Shadow Clone of Naruko dropped down nearby and began a phrase Zabuza was coming to hate severely.

"Oh no, the mist is so thick I can hardly see." Zabuza ran after Naruko hoping to kill her before she blew away all of his cover. Unfortunately for him, Naruko both much smaller than him, and much faster and was able to avoid all of his attacks and keep away from him easily as he yelled obscenities at her.

"Shut the fuck up brat!"

"Whatever will I **Daitoppa!**" And just like that another huge gust of wind blew away all of his mist. And she had delivered it in the same deadpan tone as she always did. But it wasn't over yet!

"Oh nooooo, what happened?" She quickly ducked under a swipe from his sword and stood back up strait. "Did the wind blow away your mist?" And in that same patronizing tone too!

"RAGHHHH!" His slashes grew wilder, desperately trying to connect, before she hopped away from a particularly vicious swing that kicked up a small wave. She pulled an eyelid down and stuck her tongue out at him and poofed out of existence, denying him the satisfaction of even destroying the clone.

Behind a furious Zabuza, Kakashi was rolling around on the surface of the water laughing his ass off.

"Ahahaha! I certainly do have the best Genin ever!"

**Ah, I liked that Omake. Let me know what you thought of everything, feedback, constructive criticism and questions all welcome!**


	13. Grief and Comfort

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Rurouni Kenshin or Chrono Cross. I am writing this purely to see reader reaction and for fun. I make no financial profit doing this.

Chapter 13 – Grief and Comfort

Several miles away from the bridge and the battle being waged, Gato and a couple of his guards as well as some recent acquisitions of his were sailing their way to the construction site. They were only a few minutes away from the site, and a nice mist had been built around his ship hiding them from view.

Gato looked behind him, stroking his chin, beady black eyes hidden behind a pair of expensive sunglasses. There were four Hunters from mist leaning against the cabin of his vessel; all with masks similar to the one Zabuza's apprentice wore. One of them was responsible for the current mist cover they enjoyed. Scowling, Gato gripped the cast around his left forearm, remembering the girl that had crushed it almost a week ago. He'd have his vengeance on her soon, and be rid of many problems at the same time. The bridge builder, the team from Konoha, and the Demon of the Mist and his crew would all soon be dead. It was a simple thing to contact Kiri and inform them of Zabuza's whereabouts, and as a thank you for his information Kiri had agreed to take this mission free of charge in addition to rewarding him a portion of the bounty on Zabuza's head.

But they weren't the only thing Gato had up his sleeve. A new invention that he'd just 'acquired' would be making its appearance as well. Gato could hardly contain himself as they drew ever closer to the massive bridge.

As they pulled up next to the bridge the Kiri Hunters moved and as planned grabbed him, his men, and his new toy, **Shunshining**, them all to the top of the bridge in a swirl of water and wind.

Upon arriving at the top, Gato and his men immediately bent over retching as the unfamiliar rapid motion wreaked havoc with their senses. They had appeared at the end of the bridge, the unfinished section behind them and were facing towards two baffled, exhausted and battered young women. One with blonde hair, blue eyes, whisker marks and a Konoha headband, and the other black haired and brown eyed. The blonde had a double bladed staff poised just about to end the other girl's life, but it seemed they had interrupted them.

He recognized the brunette as the one who broke his arm, and Gato's cruel and confident smirk grew back on his face as he settled behind a metal contraption with six metal tubes held together, pointing forwards, and a metal shield with a hard plastic viewing window in it. The Hunters positioned themselves slightly behind the shipping magnate, while two of Gato's goons set about connecting a crates worth of bronze spike like objects, held together in a belt, to the contraption.

* * *

Kakashi leapt over a low sweep from the Kubikiribocho, attempting to thrust his kunai into Zabuza's right eye. The missing-nin managed to turn far enough so the small blade just cut through some of the bandages wrapped around his face, making a small slice on his left cheek. As he turned, his sword came sweeping upwards towards Kakashi, aiming to cleave him in two at the stomach.

Before it could connect Kakashi planted a foot on Zabuza's back and pushed off, while simultaneously sending a large burst of chakra through it, improvising the tree walking exercise into an attack and tearing up the surface of Zabuza's back between his shoulders. Kakashi did not get out unscathed however as the cleaver tore through his abdomen in a deep gash that bled profusely.

Both Shinobi backed away from each other, panting heavily and their blood dropping down into the water beneath them. Zabuza's arms were now moving very stiffly, as any hard or quick movements would open the new wound in his back up further. Kakashi had his left arm firmly over the gash in his abdomen, staunching the flow as best he could.

Their footing was beginning to falter as the two shinobi were really starting to feel the drain of maintaining their stability on the water's surface while fighting such a skilled enemy. Both noticed a ship with a Gato Company insignia painted on its hull pull up next to the bridge. Moments later they heard a loud, unfamiliar, and persistent clatter from above accompanied by two loud screams of pain that both recognized immediately.

Hearing both girls scream like that, the two older warriors shared a look of temporary truce and raced up the nearest stone pillar holding the bridge up. Upon reaching the top they did not like what they saw in the least.

* * *

As soon as Hinata had seen Sasuke cut down like he was, she made a quick check around Tazuna's group, confirming that there was no one approaching within a thousand feet and determined that she could reach the downed Uchiha and get him to safety before anything could happen to their client.

"Stay here!" Hinata didn't hesitate to race to Sasuke's prone and bleeding form, several meters outside of the ice mirrors that Hunter had just formed. Through the gaps between the mirrors Hinata could see Naruko in a frenzy of activity knocking away dozens, if not hundreds of needles that shot at her from all sides.

A pained groan brought Hinata's attention back to Sasuke. He had a large gash from his left hip to his right shoulder, but it wasn't deep enough to be particularly life threatening. It would need stitches and bandaging, and would more than likely leave a sizeable scar on the boy, but Hinata was sure he could be saved. He was barely conscious, eyes unfocused and squinting in pain.

Grabbing Sasuke under the shoulders she dragged the boy away from the fight towards Tazuna's group and quickly got to work tending to his wound. While she did this she didn't notice that Gozu had regained consciousness and retrieved his brother right from under her nose.

* * *

"_That_ is my dream, and in order to fulfill it, I will become a true shinobi, and I will kill you!" Every Haku in every mirror brandished three senbon between her fingers and with a quick throwing motion needles began shooting towards Naruko from every direction but below.

Naruko cursed, drawing her wakizashi in her left hand, holding it in a reverse grip. She spun the Mastermune and maneuvered the wakizashi, deflecting as many needles as she could, but some inevitably slipped through, nicking her cheeks, stomach and thighs. Her body was a blur as she used her Tekko, Suneate, and weapons to hold off Haku's relentless assault.

Even to Naruko's speed attuned eyes Haku wasn't even visible with the speed granted to her by her Jutsu. Naruko could hardly keep up with the needle barrage. There were now multiple senbon jutting out of her back, legs, and arms.

Making one more swipe with her wakizashi, Naruko darted for one of the gaps between the mirrors on her left, inwardly scowling at her reduced speed. A few feet away, Naruko leapt at the gap, multiple senbon impaling themselves in the backs of her legs and jacket as she did.

Just as Naruko was about to pass the threshold she felt Haku's kneed collide with her chest right on the solar plexus, cracking her sternum, knocking the wind out of Naruko and sending her sliding backwards on the stone floor, some of the senbon in her back being driven painfully deeper, while others were jarred loose from her flesh.

Naruko quickly got back to her feet ignoring the stabbing pain all over her body, expecting the storm of needles to double in intensity because of her vulnerable position.

To her surprise, Haku's attack actually stopped. Looking around Naruko found the images of Haku standing very casually, left hip up as she balanced her weight on the left leg and her arms crossed.

"I told you you're defeat was decided once I trapped you with this technique. No one has ever defeated it before." On the outside, Haku was the perfect picture of confidence, the earlier signs of fatigue masked. On the inside Haku was thanking god for the presence of her mask, her face under it contorted into an extremely pained expression as she struggled to keep her voice and posture under control.

"_Bloody _hell_! What is she made of!? I think I just busted my knee on her chest! It felt like hitting a steel wall full speed ahead!"_ Haku screamed in her mind. Her right knee had started throbbing in intense pain after connecting with Naruko, keeping her in the prison of ice mirrors, so she was carefully keeping her weight off of it, and buying time, hoping the pain would diminish quickly so she could finish off the whiskered blonde. Unfortunately for her, she couldn't afford to wait much longer. Her remaining chakra was rapidly draining away with the chakra intensive Jutsu, and she hadn't inflicted enough damage yet.

"Well lucky me." Naruko panted out, biting back her grimace. "I get to be the first then." She pointed her left fist at the mirror in front of her, wakizashi still in hand and gathered a large ball of holy energy in front of her knuckles. **"Hijutsu: Koshi-Sen!" **The beam of holy energy lanced out at the mirror in front of her, smashing into it, a web of cracks steadily growing on its surface as she pumped more power into the attack.

Haku dropped into the seal she used to create the jutsu, reinforcing her mirrors as much as she could hoping to make them hold under the siege of light energy.

Abruptly Naruko cut the attack off, gasping in shock. _"Gato's not there!? Where is he!?"_ Some of Naruko's clones she had sent to invade his manor had dispelled, letting her know that everyone who had been there had been successfully disarmed and captured and were now being ferried to the town square where the first two thugs were waiting. But after searching the entire place top to bottom, her clones had been unable to find Gato.

Haku's shoulders were now heavily heaving as she gasped, hands still in their seal. _"Bad idea! Should've just let her break through. That drained the last of my chakra."_ The mirrors were all starting to collapse now, but there was just enough time to make one last gambit.

Haku drew another handful of senbon and launched them through the mirrors on either side of Naruko, piercing her wrists between the armor plates on her Tekko, and launched out of the mirror behind her, needles between her fingers. Her speed was nowhere near the level she had just been going, a combination of her exhaustion and injuries slowing her down.

Naruko's hands went numb, dropping her weapons. Hearing the charge behind her, she spun around, finding Haku less than a foot away ready to impale her with two fistfuls of senbon, and threw a haymaker with her right hand.

Naruko's hand crashed into Haku's masked face at the same time as Haku buried her needles knuckle deep into Naruko's gut just under her ribs at an upwards angle, jabbing into the bottom of her lungs. Haku was sent flying back and through the still semi solid mirrors, and skidded along the icy stone, her Hunter mask flying off to land in a small pile of snow.

Naruko cursed as she spat up a small glob of blood, unable to remove the needles now poking very uncomfortably at her innards. Her hands were still numb due to the needles still present in her wrists, and therefore hadn't been able to make a fist. Because of this she had dislocated her right index, middle and ring finger when she connected with the hard material of Haku's mask.

Bringing her wrists up to her mouth, Naruko bit the ends of the senbon and pulled them free of her wrists, immediately feeling her hands tingle as the numbness slowly started to fade.

Gagging out another wad of blood and saliva, Naruko looked at the Hunter who had just gotten up on all fours, arms shaking violently under the strain of holding herself up.

"See? I'm the first!" Naruko grinned, finally getting a look at the face of the Hunter who had given her so much trouble. "…Haku!?"

Haku gave her a small, tired, smile. "You're a lot stronger than I thought you were Naruko-Chan." Haku managed to struggle to her feet, slumped over, arms hanging limp in front of her and legs shaking.

Naruko's mind raced, coming to terms with her new friend being the Hunter that had nearly killed her a week ago. In her mind though, one thing was standing out, completely impossible to ignore. "You stole my first kiss!"

Haku's jaw dropped at the absurd subject change, her features now completely incredulous rather than tired. "_That's_ what you have to say after finding out who I am?" Haku laughed in disbelief before giving her a genuine smile. "And I was your first kiss? That makes me kind of happy Naruko-Chan." Haku giggled, shaking her head with a smile.

The two were silent for a few moments, catching their breath. Naruko's hand regained enough feeling that she able to grasp and pull out the six needles jabbing into her lungs.

Haku watched her drop the senbon at her sides, knowing that she would be unable to continue fighting. She was completely drained of chakra and energy. "I wish we had been able to meet under better circumstances. I do like you Naruko-Chan…but I will do anything that Zabuza-Sama asks of me."

"…Yea. I understand. I have someone like that back in Konoha. But this fight is mine. You can hardly stand, and my wounds are already healing."

Haku looked closer at Naruko's wounds. Right before her eyes, the gashes and cuts were slowly closing up, a light steam emanating from the tissue. Naruko slowly crouched down, picking up her weapons. She sheathed the wakizashi back at her waist, and took slow steps towards her enemy, who appeared resigned to her fate.

Naruko paused several feet away, just inside the range of the Mastermune. "…So there's no way that you'll just surrender…is there?" Despite the smile on Naruko's face, she was struggling on the inside to deliver the finishing blow. She was a girl that became very attached to every friend that she made, and she never thought that she'd be in such a position as this.

Haku shook her head, her face adopting a serious expression. "There isn't. I live to serve Zabuza-Sama. You understand the pain of simply existing. The pain Zabuza-Sama saved me from. Knowing that you're completely unwanted. That you're not needed by anyone. I was born in the Land of Water. My parents were farmers in a snowy village. We were poor, but we were happy. I was happy. But the Land of Water was full of those fearful of people like me. Those with bloodlines, like my Hyoton Kekkei Genkai. My father was one of them. When he discovered that my mother and I had this blood, he killed her, and tried to kill me. But I killed him first. That's when I realized the pain of not being needed. But Zabuza-Sama didn't care. He took me in and raised me. So I decided I would do everything I could to support him. Since I cannot defeat you, then I am worthless to him. Please…kill me."

Naruko nodded, preparing herself to deliver the finishing blow. What Haku said was nothing less than what she would do for Danzo-Sama. No one understood how Haku felt better than she did.

Naruko brought the Mastermune back, and was about to stab it forward, straight into Haku's heart when a series of **Shunshins** erupted into existence several dozen meters away from them. When the wind and water from the technique dispersed Naruko and Haku could see Gato accompanied by two of his thugs and four Kiri Hunters. There was a strange metal machine pointed at them that the two thugs were quickly hooking up with some gold colored, very pointy belt strip.

"Looks like you missing-nin aren't doing too well." Gato said, looking at Haku's beaten body. "You're the only one here. Tell me, where did Zabuza go?"

Naruko lowered the Mastermune. _"The only one? Sure Zabuza fell off the bridge, but the Demon Brothers should still be around."_ She didn't risk a look around, keeping her eyes on the newcomers.

"What are you doing here Gato?" Haku snarled out angrily, looking between him and the Hunters.

Gato chuckled condescendingly. "If it isn't obvious, as soon as I learned of the presence of you Kiri missing-nin I sent word to Kiri. These fine gentlemen are here to deal with you and the rest of your unsavory company." Before the Kiri Hunters could move, Gato turned to them.

"You don't mind if I try out my new toy do you? It'd be such a shame to have hauled it all the way up here and not do anything with it." Gato gestured to the machine in front of him. After a moment of silence that made Gato begin to sweat nervously, one of the Hunters made a 'go ahead' gesture with their hand.

Gato laughed cruelly. "Gahaha! Good! Let me show you upstart bitches my new weapon! It's called a Gatling Gun! And with this, us non-ninja will finally be able to stand up to you shinobi!" Gato grabbed a handle on the right side of the machine and began turning it rapidly, causing the barrels to spin and spit out hot lead at an extremely fast rate.

Naruko and Haku gasped and attempted to dodge the attack, but Haku's exhaustion and Naruko's not quite healed legs, combined with the surprise of the attack caught them. Both dove in the same direction and Haku was hit twice in the right thigh and three times in the left, the bullets tearing through her flesh easily and coming out on the other side making her scream in pain. Haku landed on the floor and rolled into a kneeling position, teeth gritted and one eye closed in pain groaning in agony.

Naruko was hit three times in the gut lodging themselves inside her abdomen, and once in her left thigh making her scream in pain as well. Her armor managed to block any shots that were heading towards anything vital, but it was still painful as fuck. Naruko landed on her side, rolling into the railing at the edge of the bridge. Using it as a crutch, she managed to pull herself back to her feet, her still mangled right hand pressed against the new holes in her stomach while the Mastermune was held in her left hand. Gato had stopped firing after seeing the damage he'd so easily inflicted on them. The two girls were only a few feet away from each other and well within his sights.

"Ahahaha! You see!? This is what happens when you mess with Gato!"

"You bastard! You'll pay for this." Naruko ground out. She took a step towards him, only to stop once the Hunters moved threateningly towards her.

Haku glared impotently at the short man as he leveled the gun on her. If that damned shield wasn't there she could've just shot a few senbon through his eyes and throat. Well, she could if the Hunters wouldn't have been there to interfere.

"You'll go first! The bitch that broke my arm!"

Before Gato could start turning the lever, Gozu and Meizu reappeared, running up from the edge of the bridge, hopping over the safety railings. They ran straight past the two wounded girls on a direct course for Gato.

"You're the one that's going to die!" Meizu screamed, kunai held in both hands.

Quickly pivoting the weapon around, he trained it on Meizu and opened fire. The missing-nin was roaring in rage at Gato as he was riddled full of bullets. Meizu quickly fell, dead before he hit the floor unseeing eyes pointing up at the sky.

"Meizu!" Haku yelled in distress, struggling to get to her feet, only to collapse back to her knees.

In the time it took Gato to Kill Meizu, his brother Gozu had managed to get within a couple of meters and threw a pair of kunai at Gato, only for the man to scream in fear and duck down under the shield on the Gatling Gun and shoot his assailant full of holes. The kunai that had been thrown bounced harmlessly to the stone floor beneath the gun.

"Gozu!" Haku reached for a nearby fallen senbon needle and threw it as hard as she could at Gato, only for it to lodge harmlessly in the shield.

"It appears I spoke too soon." Gato said, wiping some of the sweat from his forehead before once again turning his weapon on Haku. "You'll be the third to die."

Before he could open fire, a shadow began descending on him. Looking up, he saw Zabuza falling towards him, murder in his eyes and the Kubikiribocho ready to chop him in two. Before he could reach the man, two of the hunters engaged him, pushing him away from Gato.

"Gato! I'll have your head for this you goddamn weasel!" Zabuza now fought the two Hunters, his skill and power showing itself as he handled them quite well, especially considering how wounded he was.

The other two Hunters found themselves having to defend Gato from Kakashi, who upon seeing Naruko in Gato's sights didn't hesitate to attack.

"You dare point your gun at _my_ Genin? Don't expect to walk away from this in one piece!" Kakashi was no less capable at handling the pair of Hunters attacking him. Zabuza and Kakashi found themselves with a temporary alliance against the short shipping magnate and his new Kiri allies.

"Y-you fools! You can't beat me! I'll show you all the power of my weapon!" Behind Gato's glasses, his eyes were wide and crazed. He gripped the handle and lever of the gun and pointed it at all of the shinobi in front of him. He didn't care if he had to go through the Kiri Hunters in front of him to win. He could kill them all and tell Kiri whatever story he wanted to afterwards. How the valiant Kiri Shinobi were cut down by the bloodthirsty Zabuza and his allies from Konoha. There would be no one left to tell a different story.

"DIE!"

The Gatling Gun began spewing bullets at an even faster rate than before, Gato's frenzied desperation driving him to wheel the trigger lever even faster than before. The Hunters didn't even know what had happened when the first bullets tore through them from behind, quickly ending their lives while they were fighting off Kakashi and Zabuza. Zabuza and Kakashi managed to jump away from the ensuing carnage, the bodies of the Hunters stopping the majority of the bullets shot their way.

Gato turned his gun so it was aimed at Haku's helpless form. She was struggling to stand, or crawl even, anything to get moving, but her empty chakra reserves and her wounds made her efforts in vain. Naruko had taken the opportunity of their mentors' arrival to move around the fight and hit Gato directly, but she hadn't even made it halfway yet when the crazed tyrant once again opened fire on the ice user.

The bullets streaked towards Haku, ready to perforate her prone body.

"Haku!" Zabuza disappeared in a blur towards the girl, stopping in front of her just as the bullets bit into the flesh of his back, ripping muscle to shreds and shattering bone. When the bullets stopped, at least a dozen of the projectiles were lodged within the Demon of the Mist's body. Zabuza fell to his knees, the Kubikiribocho stabbing into the stone to his left, his hand barely holding onto it.

"Zabuza-Sama!" Haku lunged forward at him as well as her body would allow her, catching him before he could fall forward. Tears quickly built in her eyes, seeing the blood rapidly pool around them. The puddle grew so large that she was kneeling in his blood as well, her own blood flowing from her legs to mix with it. "W-why did you do that!? You shouldn't have done that!" Her voice was rapidly growing hysterical. She didn't even notice Naruko destroying Gato's gun and ending the battle.

"Haku…" Zabuza's right hand came up, stroking at her cheek, smearing it with his blood. "You were always by my side. I've always been so proud of you." Zabuza gagged, the bandages around his mouth staining red. He brought his left hand down to pull the wrappings from his face, the loose fabric settling around his neck.

"Stop talking! We have to get you to a healer!" Once again Haku attempted to stand, this time held down by Zabuza's hand on her shoulder.

"Don't be foolish Haku. This is it for me. Just listen!" He jerked her when she stubbornly tried to keep standing.

"I've taught you everything I knew. I know I made you suffer for me, and I will always regret that. I know you always called yourself my tool. But you know what? You were the daughter I never got the chance to have." Haku whimpered in distress, unable to hold back her tears any longer.

"T-t-tou-Sama, you can't die! What am I supposed to do without you!?"

"Live! My greatest desire right now is that you keep on going! Find a way to be happy." The force in his voice ended with body wracking coughs that spattered more blood down his lips and chin and on Haku's battle kimono.

Somehow managing to get some semblance of control back, Haku looked him in the eye, dragging that determined glint into it, kicking and screaming. "I will Tou-Sama. I promise." Zabuza smile at her and nodded in approval, eyes closing and body slumping over as the last of his life left him.

Haku clutched at him, burying her face in his chest sobbing loudly as the strong façade she had thrown up for his sake shattered. _"How am I supposed to do that if you're dead…?"_ The words whispered through her mind, full of despair. She didn't believe her promise was possible. She was a good actor.

* * *

"Gato!" Naruko roared, hurling the Mastermune like a javelin. The weapon rammed into the Gatling Gun, piercing straight through it, breaking the weapon and tearing out the ammunition belt. The Mastermune ended up jutting out of the crate that held the rest of the bullets.

Gato gasped in horror as his ace was destroyed, turning to Naruko, who was now limping her way towards him, a look in her eyes that promised retribution.

Gato looked at the two nervous looking thugs he had brought with him for manual labor and reloading the Gatling Gun. "What are you two waiting for!? Go kill her! She's already half dead!"

Naruko snarled at them, purposefully drawing on Kyuubi's chakra, letting it envelope her like a shroud. Her eyes became a dark red and the whiskers on her cheeks more jagged and pronounced. Her canines elongated and sharpened into fangs and her nails became claw like. At her tailbone, the chakra cloak grew one fox tail made from the Kyuubi's power. This was the one tailed version of Naruko's initial Jinchuuriki form. Once she had fully mastered the Kyuubi's power, she would be able to call forth all nine tails from him.

She hadn't yet reached the level of control with both Kyuubi's power and the Mastermune's power to utilize both at the same time, so she couldn't be in contact with the holy weapon while using this form. Masa and Mune assured her that she would eventually be able to, despite how insurmountable it might seem to her.

The wounds Naruko had sustained rapidly sealed, the bullets in her body being pushed out by the red energy, dropping to the floor with a clinking noise.

"**You're going to pay for everything that you've done Gato."** Naruko's voice had gained a growl like quality to it. **"By the end of it all, you will have nothing left. I promise. And it will be very **_**very**_** painful for you."**

Gato's remaining guards looked at each other before trying to run away, sprinting towards the end of the bridge where they could jump back down onto the ship they'd arrived on.

"**You don't get to leave and go home!"** Two red claws of chakra darted out from Naruko's back and snatched the two thugs up who screamed in terror. **"Not after everything that you and your goddamned 'employer' have done." **She spat out the word like it left a sour taste in her mouth. The demonic chakra was boiling away their flesh as they screamed in agony. Demonic chakra was after all highly toxic, and contact with it could very easily be fatal for people unable to utilize their own chakra.

The claws tightened their grip after several moments of holding them in their burning grasp, crushing their ribcages, lungs, and hearts, in that order, before tossing them carelessly over the edges of the bridge.

Naruko came to a stop in front of Gato who had stumbled backwards, lost his balance and fell on his ass, staring up at her fearfully.

She looked down on him in contempt for several moments, the red chakra cloak roaring around her as if she were at the center of a flame. The power was intoxicating, Naruko mused to herself, examining her now clawed hand. Even now it was tempting her to just obliterate this bug of a man. She could reliably go up to three tails worth of Kyuubi's chakra and keep her wits about her, but that was it so far. She preferred the Mastermune over the Kyuubi's power, despite the massive increase in strength, power and regeneration because the holy blade didn't threaten to drive her out of her mind.

"**Kakashi-Sensei, you should be the one to take Gato hostage. If I touch him like this he might die before we get what we want out of him."**

Kakashi jumped down next to her, eyeing her carefully. "So this is the Kyuubi's chakra?" He whispered low enough so only she could hear him. She nodded.

"**I have control Kakashi-Sensei." **She smiled reassuringly at him, getting his shoulders to relax. Naruko left Kakashi to secure Gato, and retrieved the Mastermune, letting the chakra cloak fade away, returning her features to normal. Holding the weapon over her heart and a quick chakra burst later, the Mastermune was back in its seal.

Naruko's attention was quickly drawn to Haku. The poor girl was clutching at Zabuza's lifeless body, sobbing uncontrollably. Naruko didn't even have to wonder if that was what she would look like if Danzo were killed. She knew she would. The scariest part of it was that she knew it was going to happen sooner or later. Danzo was an old man, who had maybe fifteen to twenty years of life left in him if he was lucky, and that was if he wasn't killed earlier than that in by an assassin on in the line of duty.

Naruko tilted her head as she one of her clones dispersed. They had just arrived at the village with their prisoners.

"Kakashi-Sensei, my clones have arrived at the village with Gato's men."

Kakashi nodded, slinging an unconscious Gato over his shoulder. "I'll go inform Tazuna and the others." He followed her gaze to Haku. "Do you think you can handle things here?"

"I dunno. But I'll try."

Kakashi patted her shoulder with an encouraging squeeze as he passed her. "You did good Naruko."

As Kakashi herded Hinata, Tazuna and his crew back to the village, Naruko gently collected the bodies of Gozu and Meizu, setting them down a few feet away from Haku. Spotting Haku's mask in a small pile of snow, Naruko picked it up, eyes flowing over every scrape, nick and scratch on the tough material. She tucked it into her jacket, before finally kneeling down next to the crying brunette.

"Haku-Chan…" She said softly, unsure of what to do.

"…He's gone. Tou-Sama is gone." Haku's voice quivered.

Naruko lifted her arm, lowering it hesitantly, before biting the bullet and wrapping it around Haku in an awkward hug. She was no good at this comforting thing. She'd never had to before. The worst that she'd had to deal with had been Lee's near breakdown when she first met him, but that was on a topic she was very familiar about. She had never dealt with the loss of one of her precious people.

Fortunately for Naruko, Haku didn't seem to mind.

"It's happened again. I failed and there's no one left who needs me." She had stopped sobbing, but the tears were still flowing down her cheeks, cutting a path through the grime and blood. Her eyes were dull and lifeless.

"That's not true Haku-Chan!" Naruko told her forcefully, tightening her hold on the girl. "I still need you. I never had a friend until I was seven, and I am not prepared to lose one. I guarantee it that I would have nearly killed myself if I really did have to take your life. The only reason I was able to threaten your life at all was because I understood your resolve. Because it's the same resolve that I have."

"You still have your precious person. You don't need me."

"All of my friends are precious to me. I can't comprehend the pain you're in right now, but I still want to help you. I still want you. I like talking with you. You're the one that understands me best, even if we only met a few days ago."

Haku leaned into Naruko, wincing at the pull it made on her wounds, which did not go unnoticed by Naruko. They had stopped bleeding, but Naruko didn't have the energy to heal them just yet, and she didn't want to try until the residual energy from the Kyuubi's chakra cloak had faded.

"What do you say to coming with me? After the bridge is complete my team is going to the Land of Whirlpools to visit the remains of Uzushiogakure. See the homeland of my ancestors."

Haku gave a noncommittal shrug.

"I'm gonna take us somewhere more comfortable so I can treat your wounds okay?" Haku's eyes darted towards Zabuza's body.

"I'll bring their bodies with. Do you want to have some sort of send off for them?"

"…Cremation. They always told me that's how they wanted their bodies handled if they died."

Naruko stood up slowly, making sure Haku had her balance and wouldn't fall over. She withdrew one of her sealing scrolls, laying it down behind Zabuza and gently easing the man down on it. She waited for Haku to give her a go ahead, and sealed his body in it, doing the same with Gozu and Meizu afterwards. She handed the scrolls to Haku who cradled them in both arms.

"I need to treat you're wounds Haku-Chan. Let's go somewhere more comfortable alright?" Haku didn't respond so Naruko just placed one hand on her shoulder and the other on the Kubikiribocho and **Shunshined** them to her room in Tazuna's house. She placed Haku on the futon and laid Zabuza's sword beside it.

Haku didn't actually have very many wounds. Naruko had taken a lot more damage than she did. Mostly she was suffering from chakra exhaustion. The only wounds Naruko had to deal with would be the bullet holes in her legs. She would clean and wrap them until she felt confident enough to use her healing Jutsu.

"I'm gonna have to ask you to get undressed Haku-Chan." Haku didn't respond, her attention on the scrolls she had placed with Zabuza's sword.

"…Okay, I'll just undress you myself."

"Hmm?" By the time Haku responded Naruko had undone the belt holding her kimono closed and was tugging her pants down her legs.

"Hey! Stop that!" Haku grabbed at Naruko's hands, stopping her pants halfway down her thighs.

"I have to treat your legs Haku-Chan. Do you want them to get infected and have to be amputated?"

Haku hesitated briefly before releasing Naruko's hands, blushing slightly. Naruko finally tugged her pants all the way off, leaving Haku in the undone blue kimono top, her brown turtleneck, and her underwear. These however did not last long as Naruko pulled both tops off of Haku, increasing her blush size.

"Did you really need to take my shirt off too Naru-Chan?"

"Nope!" Naruko grinned, "But you stole my first kiss. For fifteen seconds I might add. I think my getting to strip you down to your underwear is a perfect means of retribution." Haku glared at her mildly while Naruko went back to work. "And besides, you sliced through my shirt just to see my bra. Actually, you tore up pretty much all of my clothes in that fight." Naruko teased her, unzipping her jacket and looking down at the shredded remains of her pants and shirt. "Not even my hair tie survived." She ran a hand through her golden tresses.

Haku giggled with a small smile. "I guess you have a point."

Naruko quickly cleaned and bandaged Haku's thighs, before stripping off her own ruined clothing, armor and shoes, leaving her just as undressed as Haku. Less dressed in fact if you took bandages into account actually.

Her job done, Naruko lay down next to Haku on the futon, looking up at the ceiling. The two were silent for a moment, enjoying the friendly atmosphere. It didn't take long for Haku to slip her hand into Naruko's, and curl into the blonde for comfort, prompting Naruko to roll over and hold her.

The two fell asleep like this, exhausted from the events of the day. And it was only the middle of the afternoon.

* * *

**End Chapter! Well that chapter fought me. There were like four different scenarios vying for my selection here and it took awhile for me to finally settle on one. Haku did indeed survive, although she very very **_**very **_**nearly didn't.**

**It's honestly looking like it will be a Naruko/Haku pairing, but things could still happen that change that. Out of curiosity, what do you all think about giving Naruko multiple lovers? I'm not saying that she will, but it's a possibility.**

**Feedback, constructive criticism and questions all welcome!**


	14. Wave of Retribution

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Rurouni Kenshin or Chrono Cross. I am writing this purely to see reader reaction and for fun. I make no financial profit doing this.

Chapter 14 – Wave of Retribution

The people of Wave looked on in astonishment as an army of blonde Kunoichi marched an army of disarmed and unarmored thugs to the city square. An army of thugs that wasn't difficult to recognize as Gato's enforcers.

The moment Gato's ships arrived at the city Naruko's army of clones pushed them along with their wakizashi drawn and jabbing regularly into their backs to make them move. The clones had spent the entire boat ride over taunting, insulting, and demoralizing them, making more than a few of the thugs break down into sobbing wrecks begging for mercy. They now carried the same look the citizens of Wave had carried for years now. Hopeless, afraid and desperate.

The procession drew the attention of everyone nearby and they all followed as the clones came to a halt in the city square, forcing the thugs to kneel with the first two men Naruko had captured, clubbing whoever refused in the back of the heads with the hilt of her sword or kicking their legs out from under them.

One of the Naruko's jumped on top of a nearby fence getting everyone's attention.

"People of Wave! These here are all that remains of Gato's power. These thugs who have terrorized you all for far too long." Her voice was loud and clear, managing to reach the whole crowd. This was the perfect place to do this. She would restore Wave's hope and vitality in the very place it had been killed. Gato's men would be judged, and probably executed in the same place that Gato was so fond of holding his own executions.

Several dozen of Naruko's clones discretely transformed into generic looking villagers and scattered throughout the crowd. Periodically they would say something about Naruko the Tenjin, which spread like wildfire over dry brush, as everyone there was very curious about this girl who had captured so many of Gato's thugs.

"Well now they are powerless. Today, no more than an hour ago, my shadow clones and I infiltrated Gato's manor and took every single person there captive. Gato himself was not there, but that problem has resolved itself." She said, spotting her team and Tazuna's construction crew, with Gato slung over Kakashi's shoulder.

One of her clone's **Shunshined** to Kakashi, grabbed the short man from him and **Shunshined **to the speaker clone.

"Today is the day that Gato's stranglehold on your country has been destroyed!" She took Gato by the collar and lifted his limp form up. The crowd began murmuring amongst each other excitedly. "Before you get too excited, I must tell you right now that Gato will be in our care as we make sure that every bit of his influence is obliterated. But I promise you, he will not get out of this alive. As a consolation though, we are handing over every single thug of Gato's left alive to you for judgment and punishment. The _things_ behind me. I know that any respectable law enforcement you had was killed by Gato, and any others were bribed or threatened into resigning, and I'm sure each of you have some wish for retribution, so I'd just recommend that you think carefully about how you want to punish them. There's no doubt that all of these men deserve whatever you do to them."

Several Naruko's stepped forward taking out sealing scrolls. A quick burst of chakra from them and there were hundreds of blunt weapons lying to the side of the Wave citizens, the Naruko's remaining there to make sure no one rushed for the tools.

"These are some of the weapons Gato's thugs used to terrorize you all. I only included the blunt weaponry because I don't want anyone hurting themselves handling blades they don't know how to use properly, but I am prepared to hand the rest over to you when I believe you won't harm yourselves with them." The thugs were growing increasingly despondent and desperate as Naruko's announcements continued. Some attempted to run away or reach their weapons only to be harshly put down by the clones and tossed back into the center.

The Wave citizens were all cheering, looking towards the weaponry with great anticipation.

"Hold on now! I'm sorry, but I can't allow you to punish them just yet." The crowd went silent for a moment and before they could erupt in anger Naruko continued. "I can't allow it _yet_ because you all need to convene and decide _how_ to punish them. If I let you all just go at it, the entire town would fall into chaos. There has to be an order to this. Some of my clones will keep watch over these bastards and make sure none of them get away, I promise. So take your time and decide. We can keep them alive with the barest amount of food and water necessary as an advance on their punishment, alright?"

There was much grumbling, but the people all agreed that there needed to be deliberation on how to punish the thugs. They would convene in town meetings until such a decision could be made. Many of the villagers brought forth ropes to bind the bandits while the presence of the clones kept them cowed.

"I can hardly believe it." Tazuna wiped some tears from his eyes. "Wave is really free of Gato. I wasn't sure the day would come."

One of the Naruko's approached them carrying Gato with her. "I hope that doesn't mean you're stopping construction old man. Cause technically, our mission isn't complete until your bridge is finished or you're dead."

"Hah! As if I'd stop construction now. We're only a few weeks away from completion. If we stopped here it'd be a complete waste of time and effort!"

"So what happened to Uchiha?" Naruko asked, seeing Sasuke held on a stretcher between two of Kakashi's shadow clones.

"He just got a little beat up. He'll live. Probably have a nice big new scar though." Kakashi eye smiled at her. "Unless you can work that magic of yours?"

"No go Kakashi-Sensei. I can do the attacks the Mastermune's taught me, but I don't have anywhere near the control to use any healing technique with just a mere copy of the Mastermune to help me focus." The **Kage Bunshin** is a very powerful and useful Jutsu, but it is not capable of cloning the holy weapon anywhere near perfectly. Any holy technique the clones tried to do would be less powerful than what the original could use. "So, I'll turn this jackass back over to you, and get back to keeping an eye on all of his hired jackasses. Sayonara!" The clone dispersed into a cloud of smoke, accompanied by a majority of the other clones.

Across town Naruko cringed in her sleep at the memory overload, hugging Haku a little tighter for a few moments before slowly relaxing again.

"I guess we should return to the house then Tazuna-San." Kakashi said to their client. "I want to get Gato secured and check on Naruko. I'm sure she's back by now."

Tazuna nodded. "Sounds good, I want to get washed up and get to the Town Hall anyways. No doubt talks about what to do will be starting up tonight."

* * *

Once they returned to the house Kakashi quickly placed Sasuke in their room and double checked Hinata's medical work. Finding it acceptable he went to check on Naruko, finding a red faced Hinata outside of the door to their room.

"What'cha doin Hinata-Chan?"

"K-Kakashi-Sensei! Uhh, nothing, it's just that Naruko-Chan and some girl are in there almost n-n-naked."

Kakashi poked his head in the door spotting Naruko and Haku curled up together, one of the blondes arms lightly draped over the brunette. And just as Hinata said they were nearly naked, only in their underwear and some bandages. Their clothes were in a couple of bloody and shredded heaps nearby.

"Nothing to worry about Hinata-Chan." Kakashi pulled his head out and closed the door. "That's the fake Hunter we fought earlier. I don't think we need to worry about her, and Naruko-Chan's smart enough not to sleep with an enemy. Besides, judging from what I saw of her before we left the bridge, the Hunter will be out of commission for at least a week in recovery, while Naruko will be perfectly fine tomorrow afternoon at the latest."

Kakashi patted her on the head, "You did very well today Hinata-Chan. You didn't panic and you have a good sense of priorities and situational awareness."

* * *

Later that evening Kakashi left with Tazuna to the Town Hall, leaving Hinata as the only awake member of his Genin to keep watch over the others. Kakashi was dreading this, as the decision dropped on the villagers of Wave promised to be a long and drawn out process of deciding their fate, especially since there weren't any law enforcement officials.

Kakashi was betting that nothing would get done until someone from what remained of the government stepped in. It was only a matter of time before they heard of this after all.

Sure enough, Kakashi spent that night watching most of the adults of the village yelling and arguing with each other. Some wanted to hang the thugs, but others thought that was too easy a punishment for them. Some wanted to crucify them, others thought that would take too long to prepare. The only thing everyone seemed to agree on was that the thugs were going to die. It went on like this for most of the night, with Kakashi keeping an eye on Tazuna to make sure he didn't get caught up in some fight breaking out or something. It would be awfully frustrating if after all of this their client got taken out in some impassioned brawl.

Kakashi sighed to himself in frustration, holding himself back from casting a Genjutsu on the lot of them and deciding what the punishment would be himself.

* * *

Early the next morning Naruko stirred, rolling onto her back and stretching. She jerked in surprise when the left side of her body refused to move right, held down by something cool and soft. Groggily looking over to see what the obstruction was she saw Haku lying on her left arm, with her own left arm thrown over Naruko's midsection and her left leg over Naruko's own legs.

"…_Eh?" _Naruko took several moments for her mind to wake up and remember what happened. _"Oh yea…Should I get up?"_ Looking out the window it looked like the sun was just starting to peak over the horizon. _"…Naaaaaah."_ She was quite comfortable where she was, and if there was an emergency someone could come get her. She had just raided Gato's manor, capturing everyone there, and got the crud kicked out of her by Haku and some new weapon Gato had. She could afford to be lazy for a little bit. It's not like there was anything on the agenda for her until Haku woke up, and she didn't have a giant mass of chakra given consciousness inside of her to heal and restore her.

Naruko lay there for about an hour, idly noting that she had somewhere around a hundred clones guarding the prisoners and wishing that she could see through the ceiling to watch the clouds. Maybe she could make a seal for that. Shikamaru would probably pay a fortune for one.

Finally Haku stirred with the whining groan every teenager made when they had to wake up, nuzzling into Naruko's chest and muttering about how warm it was. Naruko also idly noted that Haku was a lot cooler to the touch than other people. Something to do with her bloodline probably.

"Morning Haku-Chan."

Haku froze for several seconds before her head craned up, her chin on Naruko's chest, and stared at Naruko.

"…Morning Naru-Chan…" The two stared at each other blankly for a minute. "You're very warm. Did you know that?"

"…I did not…You're very cold. Did you know that?"

"…Yup…"

Let it be known, that these two could be just as lazy as any Nara if the mood hit them.

"…How're the legs?"

Haku carefully stretched them, wincing at the strain on her shredded thighs. "Painful."

"Let's see if I can do anything about that." Naruko tugged her arm out from under the ice user and sat up, rubbing her palms together as if warming them up. The familiar white glow gathered around her hands before she placed them on the bandages around Haku's legs. **"Kaifuku Suru."**

Haku watched in awe as the glow faded into her legs and she felt the ache in her wounds and the exhaustion she felt from overtaxing her chakra stores fade greatly.

"How's that?" Naruko looked up at her from her work.

"I…I feel great. What was that?" She made some experimental movements with her legs, finding the crippling pain had been reduced to a light ache as if she had just finished a workout routine.

"One of my super awesome secret Jutsu." Naruko stood up and got her first set of clothes that Tsunami had returned to her the previous day in a neatly folded pile and pulled it on. Halfway through getting dressed Naruko spotted Haku's bloody clothes and frowned lightly.

"Do you have any other clothes besides those? Cause I don't think anything Hina-Chan or I have would fit you very well."

"I have more at Zabuza-Sama's…well, my hideout. The clothes I wore yesterday will be fine until I get back there."

"We can grab a bite from Tsunami-Nee and then head out. I'm sure there's some stuff you want to get done today, and you should be in good enough condition for it."

Haku nodded and got herself dressed, grimacing at the ache in her legs and the bloodied garments sliding over her skin.

Just as Naruko was pulling her jacket on Haku's mask slipped out and fell onto the floor, drawing both of their attention.

"…Do you want to keep that?" Naruko reluctantly asked Haku. She really did want to keep it as a souvenir from her first big mission, but when she had told Haku that she would keep it after kicking her ass she didn't know who she was talking to. It was an awesome looking mask after all.

Haku picked it up and traced the red markings on it. "No, it's alright. It's just a relic of the past that I no longer have a need for." Haku smiled kindly at her, and handed it over. "I want you to have it. I know you wanted it for a souvenir."

Naruko grinned widely and put it on, instinctively knowing to use her chakra to stick it there. "Thanks Haku-Chan!" She looked around the room wildly, her eyes squinting behind the mask. "…How the hell do you see anything through these tiny slits!?"

"It takes some getting used to." Haku admitted with an amused giggle.

Naruko pulled it off with a pout. "Oh well, it still looks awesome."

Once the two were dressed they headed to the kitchen, Haku picking up the Kubikiribocho and the scrolls containing the bodies of her loved ones on the way out, finding Tsunami just finishing up breakfast.

"Good morning Tsunami-Nee!" Naruko said, smiling at their host. "This is Haku-Chan. She was injured by Gato yesterday at the bridge and I brought her here so I could help her out. I hope you don't mind."

Tsunami blinked in confusion before smiling at the sunny blonde. "Good morning Naruko-Chan, Haku-Chan. Of course I don't mind. You're a good girl for helping those in need."

Naruko sat down next to Hinata, pulling Haku to the seat on her other side. "Morning Hina-Chan. Uchiha. Haku-Chan, this is Hyuuga Hinata and Uchiha Sasuke, my Genin teammates. Genin teammates, this is Haku-Chan."

Hinata gave them both a pleasant greeting while Sasuke glared mildly. He was currently shirtless, his torso wrapped securely in fresh bandages and an ugly bruise on his neck where Haku had kicked him. It wasn't difficult to recognize the girl as the one who had nearly killed him the day before, what with the bloody and distinctive clothing and the huge cleaver she was carrying around. He didn't say anything at the moment though. It wouldn't serve any purpose to alarm Tsunami. He would just make sure to keep an eye on her and watch out for any opportunity to perhaps pay her back for the defeat he'd suffered.

"So where're Kakashi-Sensei and Tazuna-San?"

"Those two are sleeping. They were at the Town Hall all night with most of the other adults in the village arguing about what to do with Gato's men."

Naruko nodded, chewing the food she had just shoveled in her mouth before swallowing. "I bet nothing got accomplished anyways. In fact, it'll probably take the Daimyo sending someone to make a ruling to get anywhere. I guess construction's been halted for now so they can try dealing with it."

"What are you all talking about?" Haku asked them.

"Oh right! I never told you did I? Yesterday I sent a bunch of my clones to Gato's manor and took everyone there prisoner. I turned them over to the people of Wave after disarming them all and now everyone's trying to figure out just how to punish them."

"Really? How many clones did you send?"

"Around eight hundred I think. I dunno for sure, didn't bother counting. I almost never do."

"Eight _hundred_? So you weren't at anywhere near full capacity during the fight?"

Naruko grinned with a light giggle. "I guess not. I just have so much chakra I usually don't have to be worried about conserving any of it. Anyways, we should get going right? We've got errands to run. I'll leave things here to you Hina-Chan okay?"

Hinata nodded as Naruko and Haku got up and left the house, both thanking Tsunami as they left.

"Wait, what errands?" Hinata tilted her head in confusion.

* * *

Naruko paused when they got outside of the house, quickly creating another horde of shadow clones to go replace the older clones that were no doubt getting tired by now.

Haku watched with more than a little amazement as the horde of clones disappeared into the trees and village around them.

"That's so amazing Naru-Chan. Zabuza-Sama told me about shadow clones before. Don't they split your chakra evenly between each copy?"

"That's right. That's one of the reasons it's listed as a Kinjutsu of Konoha. A lot of shinobi might kill themselves just trying to learn how to do it because of the chakra requirement." As soon as she finished her sentence she grimaced and groaned loudly clutching at her head and bending over slightly.

"Oooooh, those bitches. Headache…killer headache." The clones that had been watching over the prisoners had gotten somewhat cranky at having to keep watch the entire night and had all dispelled at the same time upon the arrival of their replacements, sending all of their accumulated knowledge cramming straight into her brain.

"What's wrong?" Haku looked at her worriedly, brown eyes alight with concern.

Naruko slowly sat on the ground and let herself fall onto her back, looking up at the clear sky. "Nothing serious. Just give me a few minutes. Really big headache." Naruko would explain this particular feature of the **Kage Bunshin** to Haku once she had proven herself trustworthy enough. For now, Haku would just have to accept this brief explanation.

"By the way," Naruko tossed Haku a scroll. "That holds all of the stuff we took from the Demon Brothers. We won't need them any longer, so I'll let you have it back."

Haku looked at the scroll with a sad smile. She wasn't as close to the brothers as she had been to Zabuza, but they were still her comrades. She put it away and kneeled down next to Naruko's head, placing her hands on the girl's forehead and began lightly massaging her head making her groan appreciatively.

"Haku-Chan, your hands are the most amazing hands ever, of all time." Naruko got out, enjoying the cool fingers ministrations.

* * *

After Naruko's headache had faded and she managed to force herself to tell Haku to stop, it didn't take the two Kunoichi long to reach Zabuza's hideout. It looked something like a massive tree house. There wasn't much inside of it, a few rooms, one bathroom, and some spare equipment lying around. The most curious thing though was the first thing Haku went to.

"Good morning Shiro-Chan. Did you miss mommy?" Haku walked over to a very large white rabbit with red eyes as it lounged on a big blue pillow with a bowl of food pellets and another of water next to it, and picked it up into a hug, nuzzling into the soft fur.

"You have a pet rabbit?" If Haku heard her, she didn't react, choosing to gush over the rabbit and apologize for leaving it alone for so long. Once she'd had her fill of cuddling her pet, Haku remembered Naruko's presence.

"Oh yes, I do. This is Shiro-Chan. Shiro-Chan, this is Naru-Chan." Haku held out the rabbit towards Naruko, who noted that it was at least twice as big as her head.

Naruko took hold of the rabbit, holding it at arm's length and stared at it curiously while Haku went about getting herself cleaned up and into some fresh clothes. The rabbit stared right back at Naruko, completely at ease with the situation, nose twitching every now and then.

Naruko set it back on the floor and watched it hop over to its bowls. She followed along behind it, utterly enamored with the creature, inwardly gushing over it. She'd had a similar episode with Kiba's Ninken Akamaru when she'd first started out at the Academy as well. For almost an entire day Naruko had monopolized the puppy's attention before Kiba managed to get him back from her. To those who knew her, they would tell you that it was probably due to a lack of experience with friendly, small furry creatures that most children would have already experienced by now. There wasn't exactly room in Danzo's training and education schedule for field trips or pet store visits.

When Haku had finished she was now in a clean set of her shinobi outfit minus the Kiri headband. Looking back at her companion, she found Naruko crouched down with a handful of Shiro-Chan's food pellets, feeding him with wide eyes.

"Naru-Chan?"

She jerked a little, clearly having been in her own little world just then. "What's up Haku-Chan?"

"I know you said that you'd taken all of Gato's men captive earlier, but happened with Gato himself?" Haku's eyes had become hard.

"We managed to capture him as well. Kakashi-Sensei's got him all squared away somewhere."

"What are you going to do with him?"

"Take everything he has and liquidate it. Some will be donated for Wave's restoration and some will go to Konoha in one form or another."

Haku nodded expression unchanged. "When you're done with him, I'd like to request that you allow me to kill him."

Naruko shrugged. "I have no problem with it, but let's see what Kakashi-Sensei says. I know Wave wants to get their hands on him for their own retribution. Gato's really made a lot of enemies, and no friends to back him up apparently."

Haku's fist clenched, but after a few moments she managed to calm herself. Picking up her pet, she sat on one of the beds, setting Shiro-Chan in her lap and idly stroking him.

"That man took away everything from me. As long as he doesn't get out of this alive, that's ok with me."

"In a few days we can really get started on taking everything from him. A team's on their way from Konoha to deal with the asset acquisition. They'll make sure that nothing gets missed, and afterwards Gato will die one way or another."

"Do you know when you want to send Zabuza, Gozu and Meizu off?"

"Tonight. I don't want to sit on something like this. I'll need to find wood and oil to make the preparations."

"That won't be hard to get. Gato has to have plenty of both in some of his storage areas. I think we can liberate some easily enough."

* * *

Like Naruko had predicted, it was easy pilfering some lumber and oil from Gato's warehouses. There were no guards left to watch over them, so with some simple lock picking and clones for manual labor they had everything they needed very quickly.

The two spent the rest of the day constructing the pyres well away from the village. Haku had picked out a cliffside overlooking the ocean. Zabuza's pyre was between the Demon Brothers'.

After the pyres were built and the bodies were drenched in oil and placed in their positions Haku hesitated, holding the torch that would ignite the flames. The sun was just above the horizon and there was a strong wind blowing out to sea. Haku couldn't really ask for a better situation for sending off what had become her family. The wind would carry their ashes deep into the seas that they had thrived in for so long.

Haku knew Zabuza would be scolding her right now if he could. He didn't like hesitation and he hated extended farewells. If he were in her position he wouldn't have hesitated at all before tossing the torch and watching the fire send them off. Naruko's quiet support was appreciated, the blonde silently standing to her right and slightly behind her.

Screwing up the courage, Haku finally approached Zabuza's pyre, touching the torch to the base of the structure, the oil soaked wood quickly catching fire and spreading to the other two pyres over oil trails between the constructs.

The two stood there throughout the night, adding wood periodically to make sure the bodies were completely incinerated. Haku made sure to maintain a stoic façade the entire time, knowing that the three would hate it if she kept crying for them. They were dedicated Shinobi who died fighting for their beliefs. They knew this was a very real possibility and had come to terms with it long ago, even before meeting Haku.

"_Goodbye Tou-Sama, Gozu-Nii, Meizu-Nii. I'll miss you all, and I'll never forget."_

* * *

Kakashi once again held in a frustrated sigh, watching a repeat of the last night's lack of progress, only this time in the early afternoon. The Town Hall was again stage to a crowd of angry villagers arguing amongst each other and it'd only been fifteen minutes since the start of today's yelling.

In his peripherals he spotted another man enter the room. He was dressed much more nicely then compared to the villagers, with sea foam green robes and a government official's hair piece pinning his brown hair up and looked to be in his mid to late twenties. He didn't hesitate to move to the head of the room, gently moving aside or around anyone in his path.

Reaching the podium at the front, the man withdrew a gavel and a block of wood. Placing it on the surface of the podium he pounded on it sharply, the gavel clacking loudly on the wood, until he got the attention of the room. The sharp noise made most people in the room flinch, having not even noticed the man enter the room. Kakashi was hoping that whoever this man was, some headway would finally be made and Tazuna could go back to building his bridge so his team could finally leave.

"Attention please! My name is Motochika Suzume. My father, the Daimyo of Wave has heard of the events of yesterday, in which a team of Konoha Shinobi have successfully captured Gato and his men. I have been sent from the Daimyo's Cabinet to hear your words and pass judgment on the current prisoners. We are aware that Gato is currently in Konoha custody, and that is acceptable for now as we have yet to properly organize ourselves, and there is much work to do." He produced a wooden cylinder which he pulled apart, revealing the official seal of the Daimyo as proof of identity, showing it to the room before replacing it in his robes. His voice was steady and clear, maintaining a look of calm in the face of the emotionally charged crowd, peering at them with intelligent blue eyes.

Kakashi was finally able to relax as order was established, this Motochika person not tolerating outbursts as he picked out people to voice their grievances.

They were there for the whole night, but Kakashi was pleased to note that significant progress had been made. The Town Hall was no longer just a gathered mob, it was now receiving direction. He was actually rather impressed at such a quick response from the Wave Daimyo, but then again, he could have just been waiting for such a moment as this to present itself.

A little bit less than an hour before dawn of the next day, Motochika had come to the judgment of hanging each of Gato's men. He managed to quell those upset with a punishment many perceived as too light by explaining his reasoning.

"There is no question that these people cannot get away from this with their lives intact, but we do not have the resources available to enforce a prolonged and harsher punishment. Wave's economy has been decimated, and we do not have the means to get our prisons in adequate shape to contain them. I also cannot allow the citizens of wave to go about distributing vigilante justice, or perform their own executions. If such a thing were allowed to happen, then I fear for the soul and morality of our people. I do not want to trade one army of thugs for another. You have all demonstrated amazing strength and fortitude, surviving under Gato's tyranny for so long, please do not lose yourselves now that we are so close to regaining our freedom and sovereignty."

The man certainly had a silver tongue, Kakashi thought to himself, impressed with how well he was handling everything. Honestly it was rather astonishing that he'd accomplished so much so quickly.

"Now, I'd like to speak with any carpenters available to discuss construction of a hanging platform as soon as possible."

Tazuna along with about a dozen others stayed behind as everyone else left the Town Hall. Kakashi recognized them all as part of Tazuna's bridge construction crew. Once the room had cleared, the group approached the Daimyo's representative, Kakashi following along.

"Greetings. I assume you're all carpenters then? And a representative of the Ninja we have to thank for this opportunity, if I'm not mistaken." The man gave them a friendly, if a little tired smile.

"That's correct Motochika-Sama. I'm Takenaka Tazuna and these men are part of my construction crew. We've been constructing the bridge to the mainland up to now, but we'd be honored to help you with this new project."

"Splendid!" Motochika smiled widely, enthusiastically shaking each of their hands. "The Daimyo has been watching you all very closely, praying for your success. He asked me to pass along his deepest regrets that he has been unable to offer more help than he already has, should I meet you. Purchasing the materials for the bridge has drained our coffers significantly. But on that note, we would prefer that you continue your work on the bridge Tazuna-San, unless there is no one else who can handle this. Is there anyone amongst your crew that you would be confident in directing the construction of the gallows?"

Tazuna nodded, clapping a hand on one of his workers shoulders. "Ken here can handle it, right?" The man nodded, eager to be of help.

"Of course Senpai. I can handle the construction of the gallows with whoever is willing to lend a hand. I'm sure there will be no shortage of labor if I just ask now that the threat of Gato is no longer hanging over everyone's head."

"Wonderful! We can meet to discuss the needs of its construction later this afternoon. I don't know about you all, but I'm rather exhausted at the moment, and there's no need to rush this."

The workers, minus Tazuna all nodded and left, leaving Kakashi and their boss with the representative.

"I'm sorry Shinobi-San, but I haven't gotten your name yet."

"Hatake Kakashi. I'm the leader for the team dispatched for this mission Motochika-Sama."

"Thank you for the aid of you and your team. Tell me, would it be at all possible to meet the one responsible for the capture of Gato and his men? The descriptions we've heard were about a young blonde Kunoichi, with a vibrant burnt orange jacket, and whisker marks on her cheeks."

"That's Uzumaki Naruko, The Tenjin as she is coming to be called. I'm sure she'll be happy to meet with you once she's fully recovered and has tied up any loose ends she's come across. She's currently busy helping someone recover from some recent personal losses at Gato's hands." No need to inform him that this person she was helping had been attempting to kill Tazuna.

"Great! And since I can't think of anything else that I needed to talk about, and if you don't have anything you need to discuss with me right now…?" He looked questioning at Kakashi and Tazuna who both shook their heads. "Then I'd like to get some rest finally. Good night Kakashi-San, Tazuna-San."

* * *

The next few days passed without incident, with Wave becoming more and more lively. Fishermen were getting used to being able to go out and take advantage of the sea's bounty unmolested, merchants were able to sell their wares without fear of theft and vandalism, and everyone was walking the streets with more confidence and a sense of safety, greatly helped along by the presence of Naruko's clones keeping diligent watch over their prisoners, who were jeered at, insulted, threatened, and humiliated constantly.

The prisoners were still kept in the city square, bound under the unrelenting sun and given the bare minimum to survive. Much like the citizens of Wave before them, their spirits had been broken, and they all sat lamenting the fateful choice to become an outlaw. Their morale was further crushed by the fact that the gallows they were destined to die by were being constructed well within their sight.

Team 7 and Haku kept busy, keeping a much more lax watch over the bridges construction, and their training slowing down as the threat of Zabuza was no longer over their heads. Much of Naruko's time was spent with Haku, helping her get over the deaths of her comrades. Whenever the villagers of Wave caught any member of Team 7 not busy they didn't hesitate to shower them in thanks and gratitude. It was nice in the beginning, but it quickly became annoying.

Eventually Motochika was able to catch up to Naruko, extending the Daimyo's gratitude and an invitation for Team 7 and Tazuna to meet the man. Wave's Daimyo was very old now, and so didn't venture out of the compound very often.

And now he found himself leading Team 7 and Tazuna to the Daimyo's compound.

"Father's very excited to meet the people responsible for freeing Wave. He's not in very good health these days, but he's insisting, so the meeting will have to be short."

The group entered the compound. There were only a handful of guards patrolling the perimeter, no doubt due to the economic crisis Wave was facing. The compound was looking only relatively better off than the rest of what they'd seen of the country, with ill kept gardens and walls with faded paint. Any decorations had either been put into storage in hopes of keeping it away from Gato's attention, stolen, or sold off in an effort to support the country.

Suzume quickly escorted them to his father's office. Normally the Daimyo would be bedridden, but he refused to meet someone in such a pitiable state.

Suzume knocked on the door and was bid enter by an elderly voice.

"Father, these are the ninja that have helped our country and the leader of the bridge's construction team. From left to right this is Hatake Kakashi, the Shinobi leader, Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuuga Hinata, and Uzumaki Naruko, and Master Bridge Builder Takenaka Tazuna. Everyone, this is Motochika Akira, The Land of Wave's Daimyo."

Everyone introduced bowed to the Daimyo. He was very old, perhaps just a little younger than the Hokage. His white hair was held in a neat braid down his back, and he wore a set of faded blue robes. He was very thin, and though he tried to hide it, struggled to project a strong presence for his guests. His eyes were a dull green that swept over them as they were introduced.

"Welcome friends. It is an honor to meet the ones responsible for freeing The Land of Wave from Gato's tyranny. I'm just sorry that I have no means to honor you all properly."

"You honor us more than enough with just the opportunity to meet you Daimyo-Sama. As long as the bridge is successfully completed we are satisfied." Kakashi replied.

"And it shall be. Tazuna-San, how is construction proceeding?"

"Very well Daimyo-Sama. I estimate that it will be complete within the next two weeks."

"Wonderful. Wave owes all of you a great deal of gratitude for all you have done. If there is ever anything you need from Wave, you have only to ask, and we will do everything in our power to help."

The Daimyo then turned his attention to Naruko.

"You must be the girl that captured Gato and his men."

"That's right Daimyo-Sama."

"It amazes me that one so young could do such a feat. But you Shinobi have always been capable of astonishing things."

"I was glad to do it. People like Gato and his men have to be stopped wherever possible."

Before the meeting could continue, Suzume interrupted. "Father, it's time for you to meet with Kaede-Sensei. We will have to end the meeting here."

The Daimyo reluctantly nodded, and with a strong effort managed to rise and walk over to his guests, and shake each of their hands with a determinedly firm grip. "The country of Wave thanks all of you. I bid you farewell and safe travels." Then the man left through a doorway behind the desk he'd been sitting at.

"Thank you all for meeting with father. I fear he won't be among us much longer." Suzume stared after the door the Daimyo had just exited through.

Hinata nudged Naruko with a pleading look. She could only shake her head in response. She knew Hinata wanted her to use her healing ability on the old man, but it wouldn't make much of a difference. Poisons and wounds could be dealt with no problem, but old age and the enfeeblement that came with it were well beyond such abilities. Or rather, holy energy could not be used to extend a life past their natural limit.

* * *

The next day marked a few notable events. The Gallows were completed and the hangings began, much to the happiness of the people of Wave and the fear of the prisoners. There were so many people to be executed though that this would take several days to completely finish, and there would need to be plenty of rope available to replace the lengths that became frayed from overuse.

The other notable event was the arrival of the asset acquisition team from Konoha, consisting of the heads of the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi clans and a four man team of ANBU. There was quite a bit to be gained from this venture, so the Hokage was more than willing to dedicate a team of his top Jounin to carry it out.

The team was quick to take Gato and get to work. Being an untrained civilian, it wouldn't be difficult to break into his mind. It'd be even easier due to the weakening of his mental faculties from lack of adequate food, water, and rest. He had after all been stuffed into a cold, dark cellar for several days.

They were impressed that Naruko had the foresight to call in for support to take full advantage of what this underrated Escort Mission became.

"You did good kiddo. Both you and Konoha can look forward to a very big payday once we're done here." Inoichi told her as the three men hauled Gato into the sunlight for the first time since his capture.

"I know. Kakashi-Sensei's pretty sloppy apparently. He didn't catch any of the bonus opportunities that came up until I pretty much slapped him with it. I expected better from one of Konoha's most famous Shinobi."

Kakashi rapped her on the head with his book. "Quiet you! I was just testing you…and good job, you passed."

"…Sure Kakashi-Sensei. Whatever you say."

* * *

**Muse! Get back here! Right now! Don't you- no! Bad muse! You stop going into the future and taking my enthusiasm for writing with you! I can't write those parts until I get there! ARGH!**

**If you hadn't guessed yet, I have recently discovered this evil little feature of being a writer in which my muse goes way into future speculation and makes me want to write those scenes which may not even fit in by the time I get there. So evil!**

**So there's the next chapter! Next stop: The Land of Whirlpools!**

**Also, do you guys want me to start translating the Jutsu every time I write them? So far I've just translated the first use and then stopped, but I'm starting to feel like I should be adding the translations for each use.**

**Let me know what you think, feedback, constructive criticism, and questions are all welcome!**


	15. The Ruins of Uzushiogakure

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Rurouni Kenshin or Chrono Cross. I am writing this purely to see reader reaction and for fun. I make no financial profit doing this.

Chapter 15 – The Ruins of Uzushiogakure

Team 7, Tazuna, and everyone else who had helped in the construction of the bridge now connecting Wave to the mainland were standing under the shrine gate-like archway marking the beginning of the bridge. In front of them were dozens of villagers, many with cameras and farewell banners, here to see the leaving shinobi off, Haku taking pictures as well with a camera Naruko had just bought. The bridge had been completed the previous day, and so with their job ending in a resounding success, they could finally leave Wave. And to make things even better, Haku had agreed to come with them to The Land of Whirlpools, and then on to Konoha where Naruko would vouch for her with the Sandaime to get her registered as a citizen of the Leaf. It really shouldn't be too difficult with all the political favor she had, not to mention it would mean a strong new bloodline for the village.

Inoichi's team would be remaining in Wave for awhile longer, sorting out the liquidation and distribution of Gato's assets, so the two Konoha teams would be parting ways here. It was likely that they would remain here after completing their assignment, sending the ANBU back to Konoha with their profits while Shikaku took over mission control to hash out diplomatic agreements between Konoha and Wave. Representatives from Fire's Cabinet would be arriving eventually, having been the first nation contacted by the newly re-established Wave Daimyo, as part of his gratitude for Team 7's service.

Eventually the team was able to extract themselves from the well wishers and make their way down the newly constructed bridge, a very happy Naruko leading the way. The mission had gone even better than she'd ever imagined, despite the shaky beginning with her first fight with Haku. The country had been liberated, Konoha was going to make an astounding profit, relations between Fire and Wave would be greatly strengthened, and she had even gotten the freaking bridge named after her! That had been an unexpected surprise. The Great Tenjin Bridge. She could hardly believe it, even after seeing the huge metal plaque declaring it. And that bridge was probably destined to become one of Wave's national monuments or tourist attractions, maybe even a wonder of the world, the stone structure extending several miles across the sea.

Since they weren't hindered by any civilians this time, it would take the group only a day to reach the Land of Whirlpools from Wave.

"So why exactly are we going to The Land of Whirlpools?" Sasuke called out as they hopped among the tree branches.

"I want to see the homeland of my clan Uchiha. Since Wave is so close to Whirlpool, I thought I'd take advantage of the opportunity. No particular reason, I just want to see it and explore some." Naruko called back, looking over to the now fully recovered Sasuke.

Sasuke nodded in understanding. There were several Uchiha clan landmarks around that he wouldn't mind seeing just because they had been so important to his clan once upon a time.

Haku spoke up from beside Naruko. "So what did happen to Uzushiogakure?"

"During the Second Shinobi World War it was destroyed by a coalition of Kirigakure, Kumogakure and several smaller villages and wandering clans. Konoha was unable to reinforce Uzu in time due to Iwa's forces constantly pushing in from the Northwestern front and Suna attacking from the Southwest. By the time Konoha was able to send help Uzu was already gone. My mother had been transferred to Konoha a year or so before its destruction, so that's how I'm around right now. No survivors were found in the ruins, and if anyone got out of Uzu alive, we don't know."

"This venture does promise to be interesting. I've never been to the ruins myself, but it's something every Konoha shinobi is curious about. We do after all wear the symbol of Uzu on our flak jackets and the standard issue shirts. Actually, now that I think about it, I'm kind of surprised I don't see one on you Naruko-Chan." Kakashi said, bringing up the rear.

"I've really been meaning to, but I can't bring myself to do it. I'd feel really weird buying some paraphernalia or t-shirt or something that has it from some stranger." She spat out with a surprising amount of venom. "I'm actually pretty annoyed that the symbol of my clan is so widespread. It diminishes its meaning. It should be restricted to clan members only." Hinata and Sasuke nodded in agreement, understanding the view very well, coming from prominent clans themselves. Those symbols were important to the clan and everything they stood for.

The group was silent for a while afterwards. "If and when you manage to restore the Uzumaki Clan, you can petition the Hokage to make that change. But I hope you understand why we have these symbols on us. As a sign of our grief that our dear allies and friends in Uzu are gone, and that we will always remember them."

"Yea I know. Doesn't mean I like it." She kicked off another branch much harder than necessary, the wood breaking underneath her push. "None of you who wear the Uzumaki crest are part of the clan! Just because you're a Konoha Shinobi doesn't mean you're an Uzumaki! As far as I'm concerned it's an insult!" It had become a very sore point for Naruko when she learned what that spiral symbol was. It was the crest of her family, and yet so many of the people who currently wore it looked at her with so much spite and scorn. It just served to add salt to the wound of her lonely childhood.

"…I didn't realize you felt so strongly about it. Have you brought it up with Danzo-Sama or Hokage-Sama?"

"…Not yet. I'm not a somebody yet. I'm just a very skilled Genin with some connections in high places. But that doesn't mean I have influence over something like the standard uniform for Konoha, and the Uzumaki aren't a recognized clan of Konoha because there has never been more than one generation in Konoha for any appreciable time."

Sasuke jumped beside her, keeping pace. "For an issue like this I'm sure the Council and the Hokage would allow it. The village clans are a big deal for us, and every clan understands the value of their crests. If you brought it up, I bet they'd change it."

Naruko looked over at him strangely. That was quite possibly the longest duration she had ever heard him speak, and it didn't even involve some sort of insult.

"Really. You think they'd change it just like that? Just because I asked them to?"

Sasuke nodded. "You don't see any other clan symbol all over the village. The only place you see the Uchiha crest is on me and in the Uchiha district. I had no idea that spiral was the Uzumaki clan crest. I'm actually surprised that the idea was ever approved."

"It was pushed through at the end of the Second Shinobi World War to bolster morale. At the time, everyone was so exhausted, mentally and physically, that it was approved quickly. If it's any consolation, it did help the village get through the loss of their historic allies." Kakashi told them.

"Not particularly. But I'll bring it up when we get back to Konoha…Thanks Uchiha."

"Hn." Sasuke hopped back to his previous position in relation to the group.

Hinata quickly filled in the spot he'd vacated with a happy expression. "See? I told you that you could become friends if you'd just be nicer to each other."

Naruko groaned in frustrated exasperation. "We're not friends, we just managed to exchange a few sentences without insulting each other!"

"That's still better than before!"

Naruko turned to a smiling Haku, pointing her thumb at Hinata. "Can you believe this chick? The most optimistic and nicest person on the planet!"

* * *

The group made good time, arriving at a village along the shore line next to Whirlpool several hours before dusk. They made a quick pit stop, getting some hot food in their bellies before purchasing tickets for passage into Whirlpool. The ship ride to the island nation was short and uneventful, and they arrived in Shinju, the capital of Whirlpool, just as the sun was hitting the horizon. **(1)**

Naruko's blue eyes darted around rapidly, pausing for a split second on everything before moving on. They quickly came upon the security checkpoint for entering into the city from the harbor.

"Id's and reason for visit please." A bored sounding man in light samurai equipment requested.

"Uzumaki Naruko. We're here to visit the ruins of Uzushiogakure." Naruko said, as everyone handed over their Id's. Haku's was one that Zabuza had forged for her early on, marking her as a citizen of Kiri.

The guard glanced at the Id's briefly, scribbling the necessary details down on the clipboard he was holding and handed the Id's back.

"Thank you for your cooperation and enjoy your visit. I hope your stay with us is-" The guard made a double take at Naruko.

"_Uzumaki!?"_

"That's right. Is there a problem?"

"Uhh, no no! No problem. Please enjoy your visit Uzumaki-Sama!"

Naruko's right eyebrow shot up. _"Sama?"_ She thought to herself. "Which way from here can we find the ruins?" She asked the guard.

He lifted a hand, pointing off behind him. "It's a ways to the Southeast from here, can't miss it."

Thanking the guard, they made their way out of the city, not bothering to stay. They were all shinobi and could easily deal with camping out for the night if they had to. Besides, the island was rather small, so Uzu couldn't be that far away.

As soon as the ninja were on their way the guard sprinted over to his supervisor. He had big news. The Uzumaki were still alive!

* * *

When the group finally arrived at their destination the sun had disappeared completely under the horizon, the only sources of light being the stars and the green glow of thousands of fireflies flitting throughout the ruins. At the center of the ruins was a squat, very battered, but very sturdy looking building. It was two stories tall and made of solid stone, looking like it had all been carved out of one massive slab of rock. It was on its own island in the middle of the river that divided the village in two, probably the seat of power for whoever led the village. It looked to be largely intact, with massive steel doors that had been forced open underneath a giant Uzumaki crest. The walls all had rough gouges in them, looking like chunks had been torn out of the stone.

At the front and back of the building there were pathways leading up to the remains of two bridges that connected the village. They weren't the only bridges between the two shores, but they had been the biggest from the looks of it.

The ruins all looked very foreign to Naruko; the building's made out of concrete, rock and steel as opposed to the wooden structures in Konoha. From the looks of the place, Uzu's buildings had been much taller than most that could be found in Konoha as well. **(2)**

"Umm," Naruko cleared her throat, taking in the sight. "Just, uhh, give me some space alright?" Her voice was a choked up with emotion, no trace of the cheer she liked to project in her tone to be found.

Naruko started down what was left of the road leading into the village at a slow pace. A small cloud of fireflies swirled around her in a quick motion before shooting back off into the sky.

The others followed behind her, maintaining a respectable distance, examining the ruins around them with great interest. This was the home of what had been Konoha's most trusted ally. An ally that the present leaves felt they had failed, even though they hadn't even been alive during its destruction. They all tread very lightly on this hallowed ground. Haku kept a careful eye on Naruko. Even from this distance she could see the emotional effect this was having on her.

Naruko could practically feel the weight of this place. Despite it all being a ruin, it felt like she was coming home. Her fingers dragged lightly on the rough edges of the fallen debris. Naruko couldn't explain it, but the deeper in she went, the more her eyes began to sting. It shouldn't be affecting her like this, should it? She never knew this place. She never knew the people that lived here. But it was. She felt like she was about to cry, and it didn't make any sense to her.

Time had smoothed away most of the signs of battle. There were no scorch marks, no patches of dried blood, and no bodies of fallen civilians or Shinobi. But Naruko could still see where some of the more powerful Jutsu had landed.

On her right she was now passing a building that had collapsed inland, though its base was underwater. An immensely powerful water Jutsu had probably changed the shape of the river.

Up ahead on her left there was a gutted apartment complex. The walls were largely intact, but there was a large hole in the roof and through the broken windows the insides were charred pitch black, unidentifiable lumps scattered on the floors. The work of a fire Jutsu no doubt.

Scattered all around were rusty and broken weapons. No one dared to claim them, leaving them where they had fallen.

Naruko curiously noted a large quantity of statues all over the ruins. Looking closer at one of the more intact pieces, it looked to be a stone soldier. If it were entirely intact it looked like it would have been ten feet tall. There were other statues of course, some that looked like animals, tigers, lions, wolves and so on. There were even a few birds that she could see. Judging from the quantity of them, she'd guess they were a stone army created by their Fuinjutsu. Definitely something to look into later on.

Reaching the river shore, Naruko stepped onto the water, moving towards the island. Under her feet she could see even more destroyed buildings, probably tossed into the river during the battle. She could see schools of fish, turtles, and other manner of sea life swimming around down there, darting around the debris as colorful bits of barnacle and coral grew on them.

Upon reaching the shore of the island, she was able to get a better view of the building. It was a lot larger than she thought it'd be from the distance she'd seen it before. The large metal doors were at least twelve feet high and very battered. Scratches, dents, and small patches where the metal had been melted were all over them. They looked like they had been very ornate before the damage, with depictions of Sea Serpents and wave motifs molded into the metal. The Uzumaki Crest was at the seam of the two great doors, half on each door, so they would form the complete crest when they were closed.

Looking beyond the doorway all of the furniture inside was trashed and rotting. There were splintered remains of benches and chairs along the walls and directly in front of the entryway was a pile of rubble under another large Uzumaki Crest made from blue and black tiles, many of which were missing or broken.

The insides having been protected by the walls, showed many more signs of the battle. She could make out the blackened stains of dried blood along the floors and walls now, as well as many scratches and gouges in the structure.

She made her way to the stairs, deciding to check out the second floor before the basement.

There wasn't much up there, but she could definitely see the signs of a desperate fight in these halls. Some group of Uzu-nin had no doubt made their last stand here, defending what was probably the office of their leader.

Broken furniture, bloodstains, gouged and cracked floor and walls. There were even bits of sealing arrays burned into some of the surfaces.

Entering the office, she found that it was very similar to the Hokage's office. They were about the same size and layout, with a splintered desk in front of a large window frame over a stone balcony overlooking the river, with the village on either side.

Unsurprisingly the room had been stripped bare.

The downstairs showed the same signs of battle, only to a much greater degree. The fight down here had clearly been more desperate than any other area she had seen.

Every room she found was empty save for some more broken, rotting furniture and dried blood. Reaching the end of the hall she was in, it opened up into a wide room with another set of massive doors. They were even larger than the doors at the entrance to the building, standing at a whopping fifteen feet high. In addition to the height, the door was completely intact. There were no signs of damage to the door, or the wall it was embedded into. The Sea Serpents and the Uzumaki Crest proudly displayed on the metal doors stood defiant, unwilling to allow any to enter.

Standing in front of the gates Naruko gently placed a hand against it, feeling the cold grooves. The moment her flesh touched the metal, the eyes of the serpents lit up in a bright blue glow and the door and all the walls of the room lit up in sealing arrays, a blue barrier erecting itself where Kakashi and the others had been watching her, locking them all in the room.

"Naruko! What happened!?" Kakashi called out to her as they backed into the center of the room, looking for signs of danger. Naruko remained where she was at the door, eyes rapidly flowing over the sealing array. She recognized pieces of it from the cottage back in Konoha. This was a locking seal that required the right blood to unlock it.

"I guess I triggered a left over trap from the battle."

Before she could continue speculating, they were interrupted by a loud rumbling, as dust was shook loose from the ceiling above them. Suddenly from the floors and walls, constructs of stone and chakra began tearing themselves from the surfaces. Just like back in the village the statues were in many shapes and sizes. Dozens of stone soldiers and animals began advancing on them menacingly.

"I've got it!" Naruko quickly drew a kunai and sliced open the fingers on her right hand and smeared the resulting blood over the locking seal. To everyone's relief the golems moved back to where they had pulled themselves out of the stonework and were gone, leaving no evidence to their presence. The barrier keeping them in the room also faded and the sealing arrays vanished from the walls, leaving smooth dull white surfaces.

Haku released a breath she hadn't known she was holding, taking her hand away from the Kubikiribocho's hilt and scooping up Shiro-Chan from where she'd dropped him once the golems appeared. Throughout the whole event the rabbit had been completely unruffled, only twisting himself so he could land properly on his feet when Haku dropped him. That rabbit clearly had _no_ fucks to give. "That was kind of scary. What'd you do?"

"I recognized parts of the seal from my mom's notes. It's a locking seal that needs the correct blood to open safely." She tapped the now bloody portion with her finger. "This part indicated Uzumaki blood as the key. So a quick slice and wipe, and problem solved. But this is exciting! Since the seal was still active then the attackers probably weren't able to get at whatever's behind these doors!"

As if in response to her words, a series of loud clicking noises rang out from the steel as the serpents twisted and coiled and the crest spun counterclockwise several times. With the sound of smooth stones scraping together the gates opened inward, a breeze of stale air rushing out, ruffling through Naruko's hair and clothing.

The open doors now revealed a long hallway with seals on the walls emitting a soft light, illuminating the passageway. Naruko didn't hesitate to travel down it. The hallway led into a large square shaped room with an open archway in front of them. On the wall to their left as they entered the room there was a large family tree, shimmering with a soft blue glow pulsing throughout the lines.

It didn't take long for Naruko to find her mother's name on it. "Hey hey! There's my mom." She said, touching her still bloody hand just under the name 'Uzumaki Kushina'. The moment her blood touched the wall it was sucked into the stone and the tree grew another branch, leading from Kushina's name into a new leaf, depicting Naruko's name.

Naruko's jaw dropped. "That is the _coolest_ thing I've ever seen."

"That is cool. But it's to be expected of the people who practically invented Fuinjutsu." Kakashi said, stepping closer to the tree. Kakashi was itching to see what was beyond the archway opposite where they entered. Odds were, they were the first people to set foot in this place since Uzu was destroyed, and he was wondering if there was anything waiting for them at the end of this road.

After several minutes of marveling at the Fuinjutsu masterpiece, Naruko finally proceeded down the next hallway, which opened up into something even more impressive than the family tree. It was a massive dome shaped room depicting the village of Uzushiogakure from a point several dozen meters above the building they were in. From here, they had a full 360 degree view of the village around them. It had probably functioned as a command center during the siege.

In the middle of the room was a large circular table with another sealing array painted on it, as well as a large scroll in an ornate stand beside it.

"I'd heard some stories about their skill in Fuinjutsu, but seeing it is something else entirely." Haku said in awe, the others nodding in agreement.

The group made their way to the table. "Does anyone know what all of this means?" Hinata asked, reaching out to poke at the runes before Kakashi grabbed her arm.

"First rule in Fuinjutsu. If you don't know what it does, _don't touch it_. Anything could happen, especially with Uzumaki created seals. So this goes for everyone other than Naruko, if you're not holding something, hands _in your pockets._" Kakashi's voice was firm. Everyone was quick to follow his instructions, not wanting to call any hostile golems to them accidentally.

"I guess you're the expert here Uzumaki. Can you tell us anything?" Sasuke asked.

"Hmm…" She walked around the table examining it. "Well, judging by the room, I'd say it's a control console for the view we have. Maybe it was capable of distributing orders over long distances. I recognize a little bit, just these two parts actually." She pointed at two sections spaced about a foot apart from each other.

"That's where the user is supposed to place their hands and channel their chakra. I'm not seeing anything that could be a trap, but I'm nowhere near a master of this stuff.

She looked over the scroll checking it for any sealing traps. Not finding anything she picked it up and rolled it open over the table, revealing a bunch of names from the Uzumaki clan, the most recent of which was Uzumaki Hiryuu. The borders of the scroll were covered in depictions of sea serpents of multiple sizes and colors.

"Ummm, another family tree or something?" Naruko tilted her head in confusion.

"Not quite Naruko." Kakashi stepped beside her looking down at the names. "Uzumaki Hiryuu was the last known head of the Uzumaki clan. If I'm not mistaken, then this is the summoning contract for the Sea Serpents. I'm sure everyone noticed the Sea Serpent motifs around. Well, it just so happens that they were the signature clan summon of the Uzumaki."

"No way!" Naruko quickly bit her thumb open and signed the contract before anyone could react.

"Fuinjutsu is rather blood intensive isn't it?" Haku asked from Naruko's other side as she watched the blonde sign.

"The most powerful variations in it are, yea." Naruko finished, making a bloody handprint under her name. Just as she started making the seals Kakashi had shown them in wave for the summoning Jutsu, one of his hands wrapped around both of hers, stopping her at the first seal.

"You can test it out later Naruko-Chan. Like, say, when we're _not_ in a room full of potentially very delicate and volatile sealing arrays."

Naruko laughed nervously. "Oh yea, right. Good call." Naruko wasn't acting very much like herself, but she couldn't help it. Being in these ruins was wreaking havoc with her composure. "Well, I'm not touching that table with my current level of knowledge, so let's get out of here. I wanna try summoning something. Who knows, maybe whatever I get will be able to tell us more about what happened here or about my clan."

The group made their way back outside, Naruko making sure all of the security seals were active as they left the stone building. Stopping at the shoreline Naruko prepared for her first summoning attempt.

"Put as much chakra as you can into it Naruko. Summoning takes a great deal of power to work, especially for a beginner." The more often a summoning contract was utilized, the stronger the summoner's connection to the creatures became, reducing the chakra cost and time of transportation.

Just as Naruko finished the seal sequence Kakashi remembered something from her files. Any problem Naruko had with Jutsu was not that it was underpowered; it was that it was severely_ over_powered.

"Naruko wai-!"

"**Kuchiyose no Jutsu! (Summoning)"** The summoning seal rapidly spread out from under her palm and a cloud of smoke erupted, obscuring Naruko's form.

The smoke quickly dissipated, revealing a sapphire blue Sea Serpent. It was about the width of Kakashi's arm and six feet long. There were two dark horns on its head, and its eyes were the same color as its scales. Along the jaw line of its skull there were flaps of flexible, protective scales that hid the creature's gills. A little bit under the head was a pair of large fin like appendages that fluttered gently, testing the air around it, and the tip of its tail was shaped like a spearhead.

"**Uhh…What happened?"** The serpent's voice was that of a young male. As it uncoiled the light shimmered off of its scales.

Naruko smiled widely at the serpent. "Hi! I'm Uzumaki Naruko, and I just summoned you."

"**Uzumaki? The Uzumaki are still alive!?"** The serpent twisted around Naruko, surrounding her with its body, and came eye to eye with her.

"**Are you really an Uzumaki? I thought all Uzumaki had red hair?"**

Naruko shrugged. "My mom had the trademark red hair, but it skipped me."

"**Well if you've really signed the Sea Serpent summoning contract, then you must be an Uzumaki. I just can't really believe it. We haven't had a summoner since way before I was even hatched! Tou-Sama's really gonna want to meet you. And oh yea, I'm Seiryuu, nice to meet you!" **Seiryuu looked over Naruko's shoulder at her companions. **(3)**

"**Are they Uzumaki as well?"**

"No, it's just me. As far as I'm aware, I'm the last living Uzumaki. These are my friends and teammates." As she named them, she pointed out the person. "Kakashi-Sensei, Hinata-Chan, Haku-Chan, and Uchiha."

"**Alright then, since you're the only Uzumaki here, we should get going to see Tou-Sama. I'm sure he's wondering where I've gotten to."**

"Ok, where is it?"

"**Don't worry about that, I'll just get Tou-Sama to summon you over when I dispel."** Seiryuu coiled twice around Naruko's waist and his head slithered under the back of her jacket to come out the left side of its collar.

"Hold on there! We don't have time for an extended visit to the home of the Sea Serpent clan. We have to be back at Konoha within the week." Kakashi cut in.

Both Naruko and Seiryuu whined in unison, lowering their heads in disappointment.

"Aww."

"**Aww."**

* * *

**(1) Shinju = Pearl**

**(2) If you actually look at the only picture of Uzushiogakure, it looks rather like a modern city, don't ya think? Also, **_**why is there only one picture!? GAH!**_

**(3) Seiryuu = Blue Dragon**

**As a History major it is incredibly annoying to have such poor information about the history of the Naruto-verse. I really want to know who was on what side during each Shinobi World War, and just how and when Uzushiogakure was destroyed and who did it!? Argh! If I wanted to make up some universe's history I'd be writing something completely original!**

**I hope I managed to adequately portray the experience of visiting the ruins of Uzu, please let me know how I did. All feedback, constructive criticism and questions are welcome!**


	16. Divine Dragon Falls

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Rurouni Kenshin or Chrono Cross. I am writing this purely to see reader reaction and for fun. I make no financial profit doing this.

**Warning: Long authors note at the bottom.**

Chapter 16 – Divine Dragon Falls

Blue eyes met red in a fierce battle of wills. Their owners had been staring each other down for nearly an hour now, but neither was willing to back down. Hisses and growls emanated from one side, while the other calmly analyzed the other.

"…Should we be concerned? They haven't moved for an hour now." Haku asked from where she sat polishing the Kubikiribocho.

"I don't think there's anything to worry about. This is normal behavior for establishing dominance and getting to know one another." Hinata looked up from writing in her journal. "If nothing's happened by now, it probably never will."

"Blink you stupid rabbit, blink!" Seiryuu shouted, trying to make Shiro-Chan flinch. The rabbit remained completely unruffled, chewing absently at the air. "This is so wrong! Rabbits are prey. They're supposed to be timid, but you don't have any fucks to give at all do ya?!" He leaned in closer, letting out another growl.

It was the afternoon of the day after Naruko had summoned Seiryuu and the serpent hadn't bothered dispelling himself yet. This was his first time outside of the home of the Sea Serpent Clan, and he was enjoying his unexpected adventure.

"Oh leave Shiro-Chan alone already Seiryuu. That rabbit was raised around a man called the Demon of the Mist. It has to be gutsy to survive that." Naruko called out from her place in front of their campfire, tossing the skeleton of a fish onto a nearby pile, and grabbing the last roasting fish from where she had jammed its skewer into the ground. Now that they weren't in the destitute Land of Waves she didn't have to hold back her appetite.

"We also gave him some ninja training. Shiro-Chan can actually wall and water walk."

Everyone stared at her wide eyed. "You taught a rabbit how to walk on walls and water?" Sasuke asked her incredulously.

"Zabuza-Sama got sick of one of us having to hold him whenever we were traveling, so we made sure he would be able to keep up with us when we weren't carrying him."

"It can keep up with you when you're travelling?" Kakashi eyed the rabbit in disbelief.

"Well, not too well, but even if we left him behind he would find us eventually. The first few times we lost him I was worried sick."

"That's one badass rabbit. Was Zabuza planning on teaching it how to kill people too?" Naruko asked with amusement in her voice.

Haku's hands froze in the middle of her polishing and she silently stared wide eyed at Naruko for a few moments. "…No…" She didn't sound very convincing.

Seiryuu finally broke the staring contest, twisting around to look at his summoner. "I don't get how you can eat fish like that. They taste best raw, when they're nice and juicy, not all dried out and junk. Blech!" He slithered his way to the shore, slipping into the water, swimming around with his head above the surface.

Naruko grinned at him. "They taste good either way to us humans as long as they're prepared right. But you guys eat it all, heads, bones, organs and all. _That's _what's blech." Naruko had been rather fascinated at seeing Seiryuu devouring his own catch of fish that day. Fascinated in a kind of grossed out sort of way.

"_You're_ what's blech!" If he were a human he'd probably be sticking his tongue out at her, instead Seiryuu shot out a jet of water from his mouth scoring a direct hit at her face and drenching everything from her navel up. "Hurry up so we can go exploring more! It's only the afternoon and you said that we weren't leaving until tomorrow."

Naruko was now sitting in a slowly growing puddle as water dripped off her smiling face, hair, and jacket. In her hands she was holding an empty stick, the roasted fish having been torn apart by the surprise attack. Her brow twitched.

"Seiryuu!" Naruko leapt to her feet, throwing the stick at the Sea Serpent like a senbon, which he easily flowed around while laughing. Letting out a mock battle cry, Naruko charged into the water attempting to tackle her summon. Of course, catching a Sea Serpent in the water with just your bare hands was near impossible and he slithered out from between her fingers every time.

"Don't you know you're not supposed to swim until an hour after you eat Naruko?" Seiryuu called out several feet behind her.

"Something you should know about me Seiryuu, is that I don't take kindly to having my food messed with!" She dove at him again, this time managing to grasp the tip of his tail before he could retreat fully underwater. She cried out triumphantly before Seiryuu tugged her underwater with him. He dragged her for a ways before she lost her grip on his water slick scales.

He swam in front of her teasingly as she crossed her arms and pouted, glaring at the serpent and sinking deeper, eventually touching the riverbed.

"Aw c'mon, don't look at me like that. I was only playing with you. I'm just so excited to be away from home for the first time. And that we have a super cool new summoner. Tou-Sama's gonna love you too when you finally meet him."

Naruko lost her glare and pout, and smiled back at her summon. There were only a few more bites left of that fish anyways. She kicked off the sandy bottom and swam back to the surface, Seiryuu coiling around her as he did last night. That was how Naruko carried him around during their morning explorations. He could have slithered around on his own, but he liked the ride. They had checked out some of the ruins of the bigger buildings, but there was nothing of interest in them.

Naruko drew a breath of fresh air upon breaking the surface and walking back onto solid ground where everyone else had gone back to what they were doing before the antics started. "So who is your dad anyways? And where do you live?"

"My dad's name is Suijin. He's the Sea Serpent boss, the biggest and most powerful of us all! He's like a gillion times bigger than I am, and I heard he's reputed as the ruler of all the waters of the world!" Seiryuu bragged about his father, clearly proud of his lineage. **(1)**

"Ruler of all the waters of the world huh? That sounds pretty amazing. Are you sure you're not exaggerating?"

Seiryuu butt her in the side of the head. "No I'm not exaggerating! I've seen him train sometimes and it's the coolest thing ever, just you wait, you'll see!"

"Sorry, sorry," She smiled placatingly at him. "It's just that there's a lot of water in the world, and he's the master of it all? It's not even all connected. There are ponds and lakes and stuff that are nowhere near any ocean."

"Yea, but wherever Tou-Sama is, if there's water around then he can control it, he's that powerful."

"Well I can't wait to meet-"Naruko vanished in a cloud of smoke with a popping noise, Seiryuu falling to the ground with a startled yelp as everyone looked over.

"Uhh…Naruko?" Seiryuu's head twisted around looking for the blonde.

Kakashi stared blankly at the spot Naruko had just been standing in, watching the smoke dissipate. "God damnit…"

* * *

"- him." Naruko now found herself surrounded on three sides by high granite walls with multiple waterfalls in them, pouring into a massive lake. The mouths of the waterfalls were all shaped like dragon heads. There were dozens of cave entrances all around her, each large enough to fit the Hokage Tower through if need be, leading into a complex set of tunnels. Behind her was a massive entrance that led out into what looked like a tropical paradise, not unlike what her mindscape looked like, and she was currently standing on a wet, rocky platform in the middle of the cove.

She looked to her left. A very large white silver Sea Serpent with a single horn on its head jutting forwards looked down on her with large blue eyes. Along its back there is a long golden fin, with white spines jutting out from it. Across the length of its body there were multiple sets of wing like fins, as opposed to the single set Seiryuu sported.

Naruko looked to her right. An equally large pitch black Sea Serpent with two long black horns on both sides of its crown peered down at her with curiosity shining in its gold eyes. At its chin there was another, much smaller black spike, looking somewhat like a goatee. Its dorsal fins were yellow in color with black spines, and it also had multiple sets of wing like fins along its body. It had a lot more spines and spikes along its body than any other Sea Serpent she'd scene, making him look very intimidating.

Naruko brought her gaze back directly in front of her, staring up at the largest creature, Sea Serpent or otherwise, she had ever seen. A massive dark blue Sea Serpent with silver eyes watched her. It was clearly larger than the other two, and had more sets of those wing like fins along its body to help prove it. The dorsal fin that stretched along its back was a light purple in color with darker purple spines. Around its skull there were seven spikes, two on each of the creature's temples, one over each eye and one in the forehead pointing backwards, looking like a crown.

Naruko noted that all of them had very big, very sharp looking teeth that were bigger than even Kakashi was, and that they could all very easily swallow her whole if they wanted to.

As one all three of the Sea Serpents reared back as one, before lunging forward, releasing a trio of roars, complete with Killing Intent that shook her bones and set her heart racing as she fought the instinct to turn and start running for everything she was worth. She weathered the roars, locking her legs in an effort to keep them from shaking or collapsing, and by some miracle managed to keep her smile plastered on even as she stared wide eyed into the open maws of the creatures and the blood drained out of her face.

By the time the roars had subsided, her ears were ringing loudly and she had gone nearly white in fright. Despite all of her efforts her body was shaking, whether that was due to the terror, or the actual rattling of her bone structure, she didn't know. Probably both.

The three were watching her again, though their heads were much closer to her than before.

"…Hi! I'm Uzumaki Naruko. Who're you?" She called out loudly, hoping the increased volume would hide the shakiness in her voice, even managing to add her customary cheer to the tone. _"Please don't eat me."_ She continued in her mind. The only reason she wasn't currently whipping out blades and bullets of light and wind was that she was able to recognize them as Sea Serpents. Surely they wouldn't kill their newest summoner…right?

The black serpent was the first to respond, in a loud, rumbling, but quite sunny voice. "Hi! I'm Kyojin. Nice to meet you!" One of his fins even reached out and shook her hand in a display of shocking control and finesse. **(2)**

"And I'm Araumi. I hope we didn't scare you too badly, but Suijin here insisted that we had to make sure that our summoner could handle something like that." The white one said with a motherly tone, as her tail broke through the water surface and smacked into the blue one. **(3)**

"Oh that? Pshh!" Naruko waved her hand in front of her dismissively. "I wasn't scared at all."

In a flash, Araumi's head was level with Naruko, her gaze seeming to pierce straight through the Kunoichi. "Are you lying to me?" The disappointed tone making Naruko feel guiltier then she could ever recall before.

Naruko was barely able to keep herself from fidgeting. "…No…"

The great white serpent sighed. "Are you sure? Cause it would be a poor start to relations between the Sea Serpent Clan and yourself if you started it off with lies to the clans leaders."

"Fine! You were kind of scary, but I handled it!"

"There's a good girl!"

Suijin and Kyojin roared in laughter. "You certainly do have a way with the hatchlings Araumi. They can never get anything by you." Suijin said, his voice deep and friendly. "So, as my mate said, my name is Suijin, and I am the leader of the Sea Serpent Clan. It's a great relief to know that the Uzumaki line wasn't extinguished. We all mourned a great deal when Uzushiogakure was destroyed. Many of our brethren fell along side your kin back then. Welcome to Shin Ryuu Taki, the home of the Sea Serpents." **(4)**

A puff a smoke next to Naruko signified Seiryuu's entrance. "There you are Naruko! Your friends are freaking out about you just up and vanishing like that. Guess you got to meet the fam anyways, huh?" He didn't hesitate to take his usual position on her person.

"So what'dya think of Kaa-Chan, Tou-Sama, and Kyojin-Oji?"

"They're awesome. And terrifying…terrifyingly awesome!" Or maybe it was the other way around, she hadn't decided yet.

It was easy for the three adult serpents to see how comfortable the two were with each other. Naruko had apparently already found her familiar from amongst the clan. Seiryuu would always be the easiest serpent for Naruko to call upon, just as Seiryuu would have the easiest time summoning Naruko to him.

"Before I can give you my full approval to act as our summoner, you must prove yourself to be worthy." Suijin said, getting the pairs attention.

"Aw c'mon! Naruko's cool Tou-Sama. We spent all of last night and this morning doing stuff together, it was great!"

"Just because the two of you get along doesn't mean that she is suitable as a summoner. It's a good start, but not enough by itself." Araumi told them.

"If we allow an inadequate summoner to retain their connection to us, it can reflect poorly on the Sea Serpents." Kyojin continued. "An inadequate summoner would rely upon our power to carry them through their challenges, diminishing our standing in the world of summons. Just as we must be strong to support our summoner, so must they be strong to support us." A summoning contract was not a one way deal. Both parties were agreeing to come to the other's aid should they be called upon.

"We cannot allow our clan to be used in such a manner. Any summoner we have must be strong in their own right. So Naruko must prove herself competent and courageous in the face of the danger of losing her life." Suijin rose to his previous height. "She must fight me, without any outside aid." He turned his gaze specifically to Naruko. "Your performance will determine whether I deem you worthy of our contract. If you have no objections, I would like to proceed with this immediately."

Despite the wording, Naruko understood that the test would be conducted immediately no matter what she said. "Of course Suijin-Sama. I'm prepared to prove myself, or die trying if need be." Though she would much rather stay alive if she could help it.

Seiryuu looked between Naruko and his father rapidly, mouth working but no sounds coming out, and tightening his hold on the girl protectively. Finally he turned to his mother, hoping she would help. "Kaa-Chan! Naruko doesn't have to fight does she?"

"I'm sorry Sei-Chan, but this cannot be avoided. It must be done."

"Then I'll fight too! Naruko and I can take Tou-Sama!" He shot out a jet of water that splashed harmlessly on Suijin's scales, not reaching anywhere hear his head.

"Hey Seiryuu, quit worrying so much. You haven't seen me in action yet, so don't go underestimating me alright? I promise, I'll get through this just fine. Just enjoy the show."

Seiryuu grumbled, but didn't protest any further. Suijin gestured for her to follow him and began gliding through the water outside of the cove. He took them to a nearby island away from the falls to prevent any collateral damage. Along the way Naruko could see many Sea Serpents of every color and size watching them intently.

As Naruko took her place on the island, Seiryuu joined his mother and all the others watching. It was quite a sight seeing at least several hundred Sea Serpents watching from a distance.

"Uzumaki Naruko! You have one hour to prove yourself, starting now! Fight as if your life depends on it, and hold nothing back!"

* * *

Suijin roared loudly, signifying the start of the fight. **"Suiton: Matsuri no Suijin! (Festival of the Water God!)"** Hundreds of thousands of gallons of water shot into the air in massive pillars all around the island, and began dancing in mid air.

Naruko's head darted all around her as she brought out the Mastermune. "That would be _so_ cool if it wasn't about to hurt me…" She quickly jumped to the side to avoid a pillar of water that crashed down into the ground, creating a new pond, that quickly jumped back into the air, leaving just a crater. Fortunately for Naruko it wasn't difficult avoiding these pillars. They were fast, but she was faster.

"**Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! (Mass Shadow Clone)"** She filled the island with her clones who quickly went through three seals. As one they called out "**"Futon: Shinkugyoku! (Vacuum Sphere)"** Hundreds of air bullets soared through the air towards Suijin. Some were blocked by the pillars of water, but there were so many being fired that Suijin was forced to weave through the attacks. Inevitably they started impacting his body, creating small scratches on his scales, some being torn clear off by the compressed balls of wind.

"Good! You're not all bark then! But you'll have to do better if you want to win!" The pillars divided into smaller, faster streams of water. Now as they darted around they sliced clean through any solid object in their path. Tree, rock, sand, or clone, none were able to withstand the attack. Naruko's clones were quickly being slaughtered by the water jets.

Naruko quickly gathered her remaining seven clones behind her, their hands in the snake seal. **"Futon: Daitoppa! (Great Breakthrough)"** The combined power of the seven clones created a localized wind storm, blasting the flying water jets away and sending great ripples through the water in front of her.

As her clones kept the water from slicing into her, Naruko finished her preparations for her next attack, the Mastermune spinning in a blur. **"Futon: Renzoku Shinkuha Kohai! (Continuous Vacuum Wave Devastation!)"** Blades of wind began screaming towards Suijin. They were launching from the Mastermune so quickly that there were almost no gaps between the individual blades.

The wind blades sliced through the water around Suijin rapidly. Predicting the size and position of the blades from the disturbances in the water, he ducked under and around the attacks. Despite his efforts he still received some large gashes along his flanks. Well, large for most creatures. For something of Suijin's size, they were just annoyances.

Naruko growled in frustration as the last of her clones was cut down. So far she hadn't even made Suijin move from his beginning spot. She was at a huge disadvantage here, surrounded on all sides by the ocean.

Without the protection of her clones she was quickly forced to end her attack, backflipping over a thin water stream that would have sliced her legs off at the knees. She kept up her dodging trying to come up with a plan. Her attacks from this distance were ineffective because he'd be able to predict their trajectory's with his water before they reached him, and she didn't dare go out on the surface of the water if he could control this much of the substance so easily. She had to force him closer to the shore if she wanted to win.

She jumped into the air to avoid one water blast, and quickly substituted herself with a nearby rock as another blast tried to hit her from behind. When she reappeared the Mastermune was on her back and her hands were clapped together.

"**Hijutsu: Ryusei-Gun! (Meteor Shower)"** Multiple boulder sized balls of white light careened down through the clouds behind Suijin, colliding along his dorsal ridge in large explosions of energy.

Suijin reared up, roaring in pain, as most of the water that had been attacking Naruko became lifeless and crashed to the ground or water surface. Looking behind him, he saw even more of the meteors falling towards him. He quickly dove underneath the water, vanishing from Naruko's sight and avoiding the meteors, as he dropped the rest of the water he'd been manipulating.

All was silent for a few minutes, in which Naruko created another batch of clones, ready to attack when the giant serpent resurfaced. No way was she going out there, that was just asking for him to come up from under her and swallow her whole. Definitely not something she wanted to experience.

* * *

"She's good." Araumi said watching the display intently. "I never expected her to even scratch Suijin, but here she is, putting up a rather good fight. Those meteors were particularly nice. Certainly punished him for underestimating the girl."

"No kidding! That looked painful!" Kyojin said, wishing he was fighting the girl himself.

"Is the fight over? Tou-Sama hasn't surfaced for awhile." Seiryuu asked from where he was perched around his mother's horn.

"Oh no, not yet. It's only been forty minutes, and neither of the two has been defeated yet."

"Tou-Sama's not really gonna hurt her is he?" Seiryuu leaned over to look into one of his mother's eyes.

"Of course not. This is just a test. We'd never seriously harm an Uzumaki, or allow one to come to harm unless they proved that they deserved it. Actually, Naruko-Chan's already passed, now it's just a matter of how long she can last against your father."

"Oh! There he is!" Kyojin cried, as Suijin soared into the air. They could see the scorch marks on his back from where the meteors had made contact.

* * *

The moment Suijin surfaced, all of the Naruko's turned to him and spat out more Vacuum Bullets. He had surfaced much closer to the island than he'd been the whole fight, making him much easier to hit.

To Naruko's confusion he didn't even try to avoid or stop her attack, the bullets pounding into his scales with slightly more satisfying results than her first attack.

Suijin rose, and kept rising until his entire body was in the air, his fins splayed out, catching the air and gliding in a large circle around the island.

"You can _fly!?_" Naruko's jaw dropped, her attack sputtering to a stop as awe overtook her.

"Not _fly_ per say. More like gliding over great distances with a combination of our fins and chakra manipulation. Only the most powerful and skilled of the Sea Serpents can do it though. **Uroko Shuriken! (Fish Scale Shuriken)**" Suijin's scales began shooting off of his body, quickly replaced by fresh scales, and began bombarding Naruko's island. The scales were all a little bit bigger than Naruko herself, and upon crashing into the ground and water around the island, caused large eruptions of sand, dirt, rock and water.

Naruko and her clones had no trouble avoiding the deadly hail, and began closing the distance between them and the flying serpent. Utilizing their speed they were able to jump from scale to scale as they fell through the air, quickly reaching Suijin and sticking to him with their chakra. They had to keep moving very quickly to avoid being launched off the beast along with the scale as another shuriken.

The Naruko's quickly took advantage of the brief moments of vulnerability between the launched scales and their replacements growing in, stabbing deep into Suijin's flesh, drawing large spurts of red blood that splashed over their arms and clothing.

"**Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu! (Great Waterfall)" **Suijin hosed down the length of his body, blasting all of the Naruko's from his scales, leaving only the original falling towards the ocean.

Naruko checked under her noticing she was on course to splash down directly in the water. "Oh hell no!" Taking a deep breath and quickly releasing it she propelled herself to land relatively safely on the Island now studded with shield like scales jutting out of the ground. She rolled several times to reduce the impact and got to her feet just in time to see Suijin dive back into the ocean with a loud crashing noise.

He wasn't under for long, as moments later he surfaced, his momentum carrying him over as he dove once again. He continued like this, rising and diving around the entire island. Moments after coming full circle rose straight up with another loud roar.

"**Suiton: Tsunami!"** All along where Suijin had been diving a massive wave rose, surrounding the island with a wall of water taller than its creator. The world stood still for several moments as Naruko's mind raced. Then the wave began descending on the island, intent on crushing the blonde into oblivion.

Naruko instinctively darted behind one of Suijin's scale's hoping it could block the wave's devastation. She stayed there for a full second before she smacked herself in the face. There was no possible way that would work out well for her. Grabbing the edges of the scale she yanked it from the rock it was embedded in and hurled it as hard as she could into the air, then quickly created a horde of shadow clones, joining them all in creating a mass **Daitoppa (Great Breakthrough)** to carry the scale higher, hoping it would rise above the crest of the wave.

Moments before the **Tsunami** tore her apart she **Kawarimi'd (Substitution)** with the scale she had thrown, moving herself well above the island that was now being blasted apart by the immense force of the wave. She gave a breath of relief before a scared yelp found its way out of her mouth. She was now staring into the gaping, razor filled maw of Suijin as it encompassed her, the jaws closing around her with a deep, foreboding clack, cutting off all light. Naruko believed she now knew exactly what live bait felt like during fishing trips. It was not pleasant. At all.

"Oh my god he _ate_ me!" She shrieked as she fell, desperately jamming one of the Mastermune's blades into the side of Suijin's throat to keep herself from descending any further inside the beast, the edge carving a deep gash as her weight and momentum carried her down several meters, making blood rain down on her as she crouched on the staff portion of her weapon.

Before she could even think of trying to escape a surge of liquid that she dearly hoped wasn't stomach acid or something, raced up from under her, quickly grabbing her up and yanking the Mastermune from the wall of flesh and carrying her up and out of the Sea Serpent to fall several stories into the ocean below.

* * *

"Oh my god he ate her!" A horrified Seiryuu yelled as Araumi and Kyojin's jaws dropped open. The two immediately swam towards Suijin as fast as they could, Seiryuu being dragged along on his perch.

Just as the three reached him he jerked forward, blasting a stream of water out of his mouth. A much larger and more powerful version of the simple water jet Seiryuu had used earlier. The water carried with it a flailing and tumbling Naruko, sending her into the ocean as part of the impromptu waterfall.

Seiryuu wasted no time in diving in after her, his body spearing through the water easily. He quickly spotted her, looking a little dazed and clutching the Mastermune in her right hand. Wrapping himself around her he pulled her back to the surface to see his mom berating his dad.

"You _ate_ the poor thing! And _after_ using some of your most powerful techniques against her no less! I thought we agreed that you weren't going to really hurt whoever had signed the contract, but now you've probably traumatized the girl! We'll be lucky if she doesn't cancel her contract and then burn it after this!" Araumi jabbed Suijin with her horn with each sentence to emphasize her anger.

"I knew what I was doing! She was never going to get anywhere near my stomach. I had the whole thing planned out; she would fall partway down my throat and then be caught by that water jet I spat out. And she tore up part of my throat on the way down with that weapon of hers. Anyways, she survived didn't she?"

Naruko stayed where she was, treading water and looking up at the great serpents towering above her, casting her in their shadows.

"So is the fight over then?" She called up at them, getting their attention.

Araumi bent down closer to her as part of her body came up under her, picking her up out of the water. "Yes, the fight's over. Are you alright Naru-Chan? My brute of a mate didn't hurt you did he?" She fussed over the blonde as well as a gargantuan, hand-less serpent could.

Naruko grinned, gathering her bravado. "Nah, I'm fine. Other than that whole being eaten alive thing, he didn't touch me once, whereas _I_ tore into him multiple times." She ignored the fact that the majority of the damage she inflicted might as well be the equivalent of paper cuts to him.

"So uhh, did I pass?"

"Flying colors hatchling! Surviving against Suijin's Festival and Tsunami is no small feat." Kyojin said.

"Indeed. The Sea Serpents now officially recognize Uzumaki Naruko as our summoner, and she shall hence forth hold the title Shokan of the Sea Serpents. **(5)**

Suijin let out a roar to the skies, quickly followed by every Sea Serpent in hearing distance. This time, instilling awe and security in Naruko, rather than intimidation.

* * *

Naruko was now atop Suijin's head, holding one of his horns to help keep her balance and marveling at the sight of the world from so high up. "So where're we going Suijin-Sama?"

"Now that you've been accepted as our summoner, the Sea Serpent Clan has some things to present to you. Some things we've kept safe for your family since Uzu was sacked."

"What are they?"

"Patience hatchling, you'll see soon enough."

Suijin carried her and Seiryuu back to the falls Naruko had originally arrived in. Kyojin and Araumi had left to tend to other matters now that the most important part of the day had been taken care of.

Suijin approached one of the many caves dotted about the falls and slithered inside. The caves were softly lit by sealing arrays similar to what Naruko had found in the ruins of Uzu.

Before long they had arrived in a large spherical room containing many shelves with water proofed scrolls and books. In the center of the room, lounging in a glowing green pool of water was a turquoise colored Sea Serpent just a little smaller than Araumi and Kyojin. Its eyes were pure white in color, with no irises, and around its neck hung a silver orb on a golden chain with the kanji for 'Mind, Body and Spirit' in it.

"Densho-Sama, this is Uzumaki Naruko. She has just officially become the Sea Serpent's newest summoner." **(6)**

"Ahhh, yes. It's about time the Sea Serpents had a new summoner." His voice was aged, but still strong, and radiated a sense of wisdom and calm. He spoke slowly and clearly as he observed his visitors.

"Step closer Naruko-Chan, let me get a good look at you." He gestured to a stairway that led to a raised platform near his pool.

Naruto complied, hopping onto the platform, becoming eye level with the great serpent.

"A Jinchuuriki I see. How is that old fox doing?"

"Kyuubi-Kun is doing pretty good all things considered I think. At least he doesn't complain often anyways."

"Good, good. It's nice that Kurama is calming down." Densho took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. "And you wield the holy blade Mastermune. You certainly are an interesting one, hatchling."

"_She hides it well, but she carries a great deal of anger and resentment within her. Something that will have to be dealt with eventually, but she is not yet ready."_

"Yes sir. The Mastermune has been invaluable to me."

Densho made some contemplative humming noises as he reached a tendril out to one of the shelves around him, plucking out a small box and placing it in Naruko's hands. "This has been in our safekeeping ever since Hiryuu died in defense of his home. Now, I turn it over to you, its rightful owner."

Naruko flipped the small box open revealing a ring made of tungsten. The band was an intricate and ornate pair of Sea Serpents coiling around each other, with the Uzumaki Crest held between their open jaws.

"The Uzumaki Clan Signet Ring. The bearer of that ring is the rightful head of the Uzumaki Clan, which I now dub you in my capacity as the Great Sea Serpent Sage, trusted ally, friend, and confidant of the Uzumaki Clan. When Hiryuu died, we took it for safekeeping, along with the Uzumaki's most valuable and important scrolls of Fuinjutsu. Those I will release to you as I deem you ready to handle them."

"You have the Uzumaki's Fuinjutsu scrolls?"

"That's right. When the battle for Uzu was clear to be lost, we were asked to take them into safekeeping. So we did, and we have watched over them ever since. Anything the attackers managed to take was insignificant in comparison. We made sure their victory was a hollow, pyrrhic one. Now, don the ring Naruko-Chan."

Naruko slipped the tungsten band over her left pinky finger, the band shrinking in size to fit her with a blue flash. She admired the craftsmanship of it before tucking it under the purple cloth of her Tekko.

"There are a few nifty things you should know about that ring. One, it can identify anyone of the Uzumaki Clan. Should you come across any, you will instinctively know they are of your clan. Two, pressing the crest to any container will place a very powerful locking seal on it, only un-lockable by that ring. And Three, that ring is nigh indestructible, so don't worry about damaging it in battle. Besides which, we know how to repair it if it does break. It just takes a long time to do it."

Naruko bowed to the great sage. "Thank you Densho-Sama. I don't know how I or the Uzumaki can ever repay the Sea Serpents for all of this. Please don't hesitate to call on me if you need my assistance."

Densho chuckled happily. "Oh don't be so dramatic hatchling. There is nothing to be repaid. We were more than happy to do this for our friends. The Uzumaki have helped us greatly in the past as well." The serpent yawned and curled up in his pool. "Now, I believe it's time for you to get back to your friends in Uzu. They must be worried sick by now, and I know you have a schedule to keep. Farewell Naruko-Chan." Densho let out a content sigh, mumbling about how happy he was to see an Uzumaki once again.

* * *

Their meeting with the Great Sage over, Suijin brought Naruko to another cave. It was a simple room, with a small lake in it.

"This lake will teleport you back to Uzushiogakure. Just be aware that the exit point is underwater, so hold your breath. It was wonderful meeting you Naruko-Chan. I'm happy the bond between our clans has not been severed."

"And it never will be if I have anything to say about it. I never expected so much would come from my little field trip to Uzu. I'll see you around Suijin-Sama, Seiryuu." Naruko stood in the middle of the lake as sealing arrays grew into existence around the waters edges.

"Make sure to keep getting stronger Naruko! Cause I will too, and you'd better keep up!"

Naruko only managed to get one last grin out before she vanished from the cave.

* * *

Just as Suijin had warned her she appeared underwater. Quickly making her way to the surface she noted that it was beginning to get dark. Looking around she saw Uzu off several miles in the distance, which she easily closed through liberal use of the **Shunshin (Body Flicker)**.

She appeared several feet away from the campsite still soaking wet. Hinata was pacing back and forth in worry, Haku was absent mindedly playing with Shiro-Chan, Sasuke was brooding next to the fire pit, and Kakashi was reading his book.

"Yo!" Naruko said, ala Kakashi.

"Naruko-Chan! Where were you!? What happened!?" Hinata wasted no time in fussing over the drenched blonde.

"Oh I just went for a surprise visit to the home of the Sea Serpents. They were pretty excited to meet their first new summoner since Uzu was destroyed. Then I had the bajeezus scared outta me by the three biggest serpents ever, had to fight their leader to prove I was worthy to be their summoner, got eaten alive in the process, and retrieved my family's signet ring." She shrugged. "No biggie."

Everyone stared at her. She smiled back at them. Shiro-Chan chewed unconcernedly at the air.

* * *

**(1) Suijin = Water God**

**(2) Kyojin = Colossus**

**(3) Araumi = Riptide**

**(4) Shin Ryuu Taki = Divine Dragon Falls**

**(5) Shokan = Summoner**

**(6) Densho = Lore**

**I greatly enjoyed writing that chapter. What'd you all think of the Sea Serpents?**

**So, I've decided that I'm not going to have the Sea Serpent's dialogue in bold, cause it's annoying turning it on and off. I'll just save that for the Kyuubi and the other Bijuu should they ever have a line.**

**Naruko may have been a little OOC this chapter, but I think the reasons for it are justified. Then again, maybe that's just my imagination.**

**Also, I'm going to take a page from Kenchi618 and start adding Jutsu descriptions for my original techniques (And Chrono Cross techs) as they appear. If you haven't, go read his stuff. It's some of the best that I've ever come across in all my years on .**

**Suiton: Matsui no Suijin (Festival of the Water God) – S-Rank Water technique created by Suijin. This Jutsu allows the user to manipulate nearby water sources in continuous and Omni-directional attacks, usually in the form of large water streams that can impact with the force of a freight train. Highly skilled users can even pull the water out of clouds and from underground for use.**

**Uroko Shuriken (Fish Scale Shuriken) – Using this technique, a creature with scales can fire their scales at a target, and quickly grow new scales in their place. Chakra can be used to add to their spin and hardness, increasing their lethality.**

**Suiton: Tsunami – A rank Water technique, created by Suijin. Requires a massive amount of water to use, and creates a massive wave that few things can withstand. The size, shape and power of the wave varies with the user's preparations.**

**Futon: Renzoku Shinkuha Kohai (Continuous Vacuum Wave Devastation) – B-rank Wind technique created by Uzumaki Naruko. This Jutsu is a variation of the Vacuum Wave Jutsu taught to her by Shimura Danzo. Instead of a single wave being created from the mouth, the user channels their chakra through their weapon and releases a blade with each swing. The blades are capable of cutting through most solid objects, but what makes them particularly dangerous is the fact that most people cannot even see the blades.**

**Hijutsu: Koshi-Sen (Photon Beam) – A secret technique taught to Naruko by Mune. This technique gathers holy energy into a ball of light that then lances out at the target, capable of crushing through rock and trees alike. The power of this attack varies greatly, depending on how much energy the user puts into it.**

**Hijutsu: Inseki (Meteor) – A secret technique taught to Naruko by Mune. This technique gathers and condenses holy energy into a large ball of compressed light, similar to the Koshi-Sen, but rather than releasing its energy in a beam it is hurled at its target in one mighty attack. This attack can come from any direction but typically comes from over the head of the user.**

**Hijutsu: Ryusei-Gun (Meteor Shower) – A secret technique taught to Naruko by Mune. This technique is the more advanced version of the Inseki technique. Instead of a single ball of energy, there are multiple than rain down on the target. Like the Inseki it can come from any direction.**

**Sorry for the massive AN, but I had to catch up with the backlog of original jutsu used that are likely to occur again, and I didn't want to go back to add them to the first chapters they'd been used and make everyone go hunt them down if they wanted to read it.**

**As always, please let me know how I did. Feedback, constructive criticism and questions are all welcome!**


	17. A New Challenge Appears

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Rurouni Kenshin or Chrono Cross. I am writing this purely to see reader reaction and for fun. I make no financial profit doing this.

Chapter 17 – A New Challenge Appears

"Did you see everything you wanted to Naruko-Chan?" Kakashi asked her as the group made their way back to Shinju.

"I think so. I definitely got more out of this visit than I was expecting." Naruko said, rubbing at the ring now gracing her left pinky.

"I'll say. You're bringing a whole new summoning contract to Konoha. A very powerful one at that." Yes the visit to Uzu had been quite profitable. It's only too bad that Kushina had never had the opportunity or idea to return to the ruins. Who knows what the addition of the Sea Serpents to Konoha's assets could have done for them during the second and third shinobi wars. Particularly against Kumo, who had a very long coastline and the second most powerful navy of the five great nations.

It didn't take them long to reach the capital of Whirlpool, and upon their arrival they were met with a large group of guards.

"Greetings noble Konoha Shinobi. My name is Shimazu Hibiki, Head Samurai in service of the Daimyo of Whirlpool, Oda Ujimasa. The Daimyo has heard of your arrival and wishes an audience with Uzumaki-Sama." He said, looking straight at Naruko.

The samurai had pale blue armor with the Land of Whirlpools crest on it, three drops of water upon a turtle shell. He had a white cloth headband around his forehead, and a weathered, leathery looking face, black eyes and white hair tied up in a strict top knot, and sported a thin moustache and goatee combo. Upon his back he carried a massive war hammer that most would find intimidating. He was a bear of a man, standing a foot taller than Kakashi, with arms as thick around as a small tree.

"Did he say what for?" Kakashi asked, frowning inwardly as he stepped forward, getting the man's attention. They didn't have much time to waste if they wanted to get back to Konoha on schedule, but it was kind of impossible to outright refuse a meeting request from a country's leader without a very good reason.

"He did not. If you'll come with us, I'm sure all of your questions can be answered." The Samurai's voice was gruff with impatience.

"Very well, lead the way." Kakashi held in his annoyance, knowing it would just waste more time if he complained.

The samurai quickly formed up around the shinobi, five on the left and right of them with Hibiki leading the way from in front.

"Do you have any idea what this is about Naru-Chan?" Haku leaned in to whisper to the blonde.

"I have a few ideas, but I'm not sure."

Hinata leaned in as well, having overheard Haku. "They probably want the Uzumaki Clan back in The Land of Whirlpool. The country lost its most powerful asset when they lost their Hidden Village, and having the last Uzumaki would be invaluable in creating a new Hidden Village."

"What are you three whispering about over there?" Kakashi ruffled Hinata and Naruko's hair, leaning over them. "It's impolite to talk behind people's backs ya know. We're going to meet the leader of the country, so try to be dignified." And he didn't want them muttering about such a delicate topic with the Daimyo's men surrounding them.

"Sensei!" Hinata yelped, ducking away from the man and fussing over her now messy hair.

The group came to a stop in front of a manor twice the size and far more impressive looking than the home of Wave's Daimyo had been, decorated with many works of art and a strong security presence. They were led into the main hall of the manor where there were two men waiting for them, seated upon ornate thrones.

Hibiki kneeled down "Daimyo-Sama, I have brought Uzumaki-Sama and her party as requested."

"Thank you Hibiki, you've done very well." The Daimyo stood and walked forward with a wide smile as Hibiki stood and moved to the side. The Daimyo was a tall, thin man, with long black hair that hung down to his buttocks freely and grey eyes. He wore a blue robe over a black yukata and a tall black headdress decorated his scalp, depicting a swan, and his voice was very oily, putting the shinobi slightly on edge.

"My name is Oda Ujimasa, and this is my son Hideaki." He motioned to the younger man beside him. He had long black hair like his father, green eyes, and fair skin. Like his father he wore a blue robe over a black yukata, but he had no headdress depicting a station in the governing body. He looked to be about fourteen years old and led a very soft, hedonistic lifestyle if his pretty boy looks and the way he stared at the Kunoichi were anything to go by. Probably hadn't worked a day in his life. Naruko immediately disliked him.

"You must be the lady Uzumaki the rumors were about." Hideaki approached Naruko with a swagger full of self confidence and vanity. "I must say they don't do your beauty justice." He smirked at the girls as he grabbed Naruko's hand and brought it to his lips. "A pleasure to meet such fine young ladies like yourselves. I hope we'll all get along very well in the near future." His voice was equally as oily as his fathers, and Naruko made sure to hold all reactions of distaste inside, restraining herself from grimacing and wiping her hand on her pants.

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice." The Daimyo continued. "It's been several decades since we had last heard of any living Uzumaki, and I was overjoyed when I was told an Uzumaki had made port in my city. I simply had to meet you."

"We're honored Oda-Sama. I'm Uzumaki Naruko and this is my sensei Hatake Kakashi and my friends Yuki Haku, Hyuuga Hinata and Uchiha Sasuke. Not to seem impertinent, but may I ask what you want from us? We have something of a schedule to keep." And Naruko did not want to stay in the presence of his son who insisted on stripping her and Haku with his eyes. Thankfully, Hinata was protected from most of his scrutiny by her baggy jacket. Naruko would've been even more annoyed had he been so crude with the naïve and innocent girl.

"Of course, I'm so sorry about that my dear, but I must know. There are rumors that you are planning to reconstruct Uzushiogakure. Is this true?"

"Reconstruct?" Naruko parroted in surprise. "I don't know what you've heard, but I have no plans to rebuild Uzu. This was just a trip to see the land of my ancestors."

The Daimyo gave a disappointed sigh. "That's what I feared you would say. I was thinking that now that Konoha was no longer at war that they would send any Uzumaki refugees they had back to Uzu and help them rebuild." The Daimyo perked up slightly. "Nevertheless, it is good to know that the Uzumaki line has continued. Perhaps in the future you will have changed your mind."

"I suppose it's not an impossibility Oda-Sama." Before she could request permission to leave, Hideaki interrupted, staring intently at her.

"You'll be staying for the night of course, right? What better chance do you have to get to know the culture of the Land of Whirlpool then by staying here? There have to be gaps in whatever you were able to glean from the ruins you visited, and I'll be happy to…fill you in." He swallowed with a slightly glazed look in his eyes and a giggle.

The Daimyo didn't miss his son's expression and quickly caught on to his intentions. If he could successfully woo, or even better, impregnate the Uzumaki then they'd definitely be able to make her restore Uzushiogakure and therefore strengthen his country greatly. He knew Hideaki was a womanizer, but he never thought it would come in handy like this.

"I must insist that you spend at least one day in the city. You came here to see your ancestors' homeland, well this is the best example you can find. You all can stay here with us for the night."

Kakashi desperately tried to get out of their proposal. He wanted to hurry up and get back to Konoha, and more importantly, he _really_ didn't like the way Hideaki was looking at the girls. "Unfortunately we must decline. The Hokage is expecting us back in Konoha within a few days, so we can't delay that long."

The girls discretely sent him grateful looks as the Daimyo and his son deflated a little. "Well, surely you'll at least stay for lunch. I would love an opportunity to get to know Naruko-Chan better. Our families interacted closely way back when." Hideaki was determined, that's for sure.

This was exactly why Kakashi hated dealing with political leaders. A lot of the time they could be complete jackasses and you wouldn't be able to do much about it. "…Yes Oda-Sama, thank you for your hospitality." Kakashi could practically feel Naruko, Haku and Hinata wilting in resignation, and made a silent apology, promising to make it up to them later.

The Daimyo grinned again. "Wonderful! Lunch will be served at noon sharp. I will send servants to find you when the time comes." That gave Hideaki a good two hours to work on the Uzumaki.

* * *

Naruko bit back another tortured groan as she endured Hideaki's horrid attempts at seducing her. Somehow, she had found herself alone with the creep. Kakashi had quickly been dragged away by the Daimyo who kept telling him to 'give the kids some alone time'. Hinata and Haku had been ditched with the excuse 'This is private between me and Naruko-Chan.'. And Sasuke had just flat out abandoned her.

"_Stupid bloody politics!"_ Naruko raged in her mind. If she thought she could get away with it, she would've punched Hideaki's lights out long ago.

"It must be so difficult, being the last Uzumaki." He said as he started stroking her sleeve covered arm. "No brothers, no sisters. I bet you want to have lots of children don't you? I could help you with that."

Well, she did want children eventually, but certainly not with this guy. Then to her horror he started leaning his face closer to hers. "Say! Why don't I show you something really cool?" She eagerly pulled herself away from the teen and bit open her thumb.

"**Kuchiyose no Jutsu! (Summoning)"** A quick puff of smoke and Seiryuu was there.

"This is Seiryuu, my summoning familiar. Seiryuu, this is Oda Hideaki, the son of Whirlpools Daimyo."

"Hey Naruko! I didn't expect to see you so soon!" He didn't fail to notice her expression clearly saying 'please save me!' and wrapped himself around her, looking at the slightly scared looking boy across from her. "Yo!"

Hideaki quickly covered up any fear from seeing the Sea Serpent appear so suddenly. "That's amazing Naru-Chan! But why don't you go ahead and get rid of him. I'm sure he'll be more comfortable elsewhere, and we're just starting to really get to know one another."

"That's not true! I love being around Naruko, and as long as it's not too dry, I'm comfortable. So what're we doin?"

Seiryuu proceeded to completely block any attempts at seduction the heir of Whirlpool made on Naruko, making the blonde love him and the brunette hate him with a passion.

Eventually, it was finally time for lunch and a relieved Naruko, a highly amused Seiryuu, and a very annoyed Hideaki joined everyone at the dining table. The meal passed quickly, with the Daimyo and Hideaki making their last ditch efforts at wooing Naruko to relocate to the Land of Whirlpools in vain. The unexpected visit to the Daimyo ended with Hideaki attempting to kiss Naruko goodbye only for Seiryuu to stare him down until he gave up the idea.

It wasn't until they had reached the shore of the Land of Fire that Naruko finally breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Thank god that's over. Seiryuu, I owe you big time. He just couldn't take a hint."

Seiryuu laughed, "Oh that was fun! That guy was getting _pissed_. Thanks for calling me out to play Naruko. So where're ya goin now?"

"Konoha, it'll be a few days travel though. Say hi to everyone for me k?" Seiryuu gave a quick nod and vanished back to Shin Ryuu Taki.

"So how was the date Naruko-Chan?" Kakashi teased her.

"Don't even joke about that. Dealing with his sad attempts at seducing me was downright painful."

"Can we hurry up and go back to Konoha now?" Sasuke piped up in a disgruntled manner. So far this entire side trip had been a test of his patience as he watched his rival get a really powerful summon and show off her knowledge of Fuinjutsu and her clan's reputation.

"Right, right. There's lots to report on and I'm sure the Hokage is eager for it." The Shinobi took to the tree's, making their way back home.

The further they went the quieter Haku became, prompting Naruko to hop beside her.

"You alright there Haku-Chan?"

"Of course!" Haku smiled at her. "Just a little nervous. For the longest time home was wherever Zabuza-Sama was, but now I might actually have a village to stay in without having to constantly worry about Hunters. Are you sure they'll let me stay?"

"No doubt about it. You'll be under watch at first to make sure you're not a threat, but that shouldn't last too long. Not with me vouching for you. I kind of have the Hokage's favor, and my guardian is one of the most influential men in the village." Naruko grinned at her reassuringly. "You'll be fine, trust me." And her Kekkei Genkai certainly didn't hurt.

Feeling the butterflies settle somewhat, Haku nodded in response with a nervous smile.

* * *

"Team 7 reporting in from C-Rank Escort turned A-Rank Country Liberation mission to the Land of Waves and C-Rank Escort mission to the Land of Whirlpools. Both missions successfully completed." Kakashi said, standing before the Hokage's desk. His Genin lined up behind him and Haku standing behind and to the right of Naruko.

"Very good Team 7, but it appears you have an extra member to your party. Care to explain?"

Kakashi motioned for Haku to step up next to him, placing a hand on her shoulder when she reached his side. "This is Yuki Haku. She was the apprentice to the Missing-nin Momochi Zabuza, and during our mission to Wave had been hired to assassinate our client. During the course of the mission her employer betrayed her and Zabuza, resulting in the deaths of Zabuza and the Demon Brothers Gozu and Meizu. Naruko extended the offer of returning to Konoha with us and she accepted. She has proven to be a fine travel companion and has displayed no signs of malicious intent since."

"You wish to settle in Konoha then Yuki-San?"

"Yes Hokage-Sama. I have nowhere else to go, and Naruko-Chan has become a treasured friend to me very quickly." She hugged Shiro-Chan closer, but made sure to keep eye contact with the Hokage.

The Sandaime nodded thoughtfully, looking between her, Naruko and Kakashi. He trusted Kakashi's judgment, and knew that Naruko would never willingly endanger Konoha. He was also aware of the Yuki Clans Kekkei Genkai, so if this was as genuine as it seemed, Konoha would benefit greatly from her settling within the village.

"Very well Yuki-San. Konohagakure no Sato welcomes you within her walls. Because you are a trained foreign shinobi you will be under surveillance for at least a month. I will have quarters assigned and made ready for you and have the necessary paperwork readied."

"Thank you Hokage-Sama! You won't regret this!" Haku beamed, bowing low.

"You're quite welcome Yuki-San. Now, Team 7, you may retrieve your payment vouchers, and you are dismissed. Make sure to have your reports written and turned in within the week. Naruko-Chan, Yuki-San, if you'll stay behind, we can get your accommodations set up."

Pay in hand, Kakashi, Sasuke and Hinata left to return home, waving bye to Haku and Naruko. Just after they left, the door swung open again as Danzo and Sai entered.

"Danzo-Sama! Sai-Kun!" Naruko darted at the pale boy, colliding into him with a hug, nearly knocking him over as he instinctively wrapped his arms around her. "I haven't seen you since I graduated from the academy! I missed you!" Moments later Naruko remembered where she was and who else was there, and jumped away from Sai, blushing mildly in embarrassment and clearing her throat.

"I missed you too Naruko-Chan." Sai smiled at her, bumping her shoulder with his and making her grin.

Naruko moved beside Haku, introducing her to the first two people who really made it onto her list of precious people. "Haku-Chan, this is my Guardian Shimura Danzo-Sama, and Sai-Kun, my best friend. Guys, this is Yuki Haku-Chan, my new friend I picked up in Wave."

Haku bowed lightly in greeting, Sai mirroring her and Danzo tilting his head lightly in response.

"Yes, I heard that you arrived back in the village with an extra member. That's the reason we are here in fact. Hokage-Sama, I'd like to propose that Sai-Kun here act as Yuki-San's guide and minder for her probationary period. I imagine that she would be more comfortable with a friend of Naruko's tending to her when she is otherwise occupied."

The Sandaime hummed thoughtfully. It was a better option than any other he could think of. Sai was an ANBU level operative in Danzo's unofficial Root branch and a very dear friend to Naruko, so he knew he'd watch out for Haku to the best of his ability. "I don't see any problem with that. Very well, for the duration of Yuki Haku's probationary citizenship, Sai shall be responsible for her surveillance. I shall leave the matter with you Danzo."

"Very well Hokage-Sama. Sai, Naruko, you two may go now."

"Yes! Let's go guys, I'm hungry!" Naruko latched onto her two friends and dragged them out of the Hokage's office.

"A million ryo says she's going to Ichiraku's." Sarutobi said amusedly.

"Cheh!" Danzo snorted as he sat down on one of the chairs. "Sucker's bet. So how have the unexpected boons from Wave been going Hiruzen?" Danzo sounded more than a little proud of Naruko's recent accomplishments.

"The final installments of Gato's fortune will be added to our coffers over the next few months, totaling roughly 38 billion ryo for the village after Naruko's finders fee, mission pay, and a sizeable donation to aid in Wave's reconstruction." Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling in disbelief. "Her first mission out of the village, and she nets Konoha the gratitude of an entire country, a profit amounting to nearly forty S-Rank missions combined, with no casualties, and brings a new Kekkei Genkai to the village, along with Kiri's Kubikiribocho. She's going to have a hard time following that up."

The profit was larger than they had anticipated due to Inoichi discovering many hidden and or illegal assets that had quickly been liquidated, bringing Gato's total worth to 56 billion ryo. Naruko had made 8.5 billion as her finders fee, on top of her pay for the A-Rank.

And he hadn't even learned that Naruko had recovered the Uzumaki Signet Ring, granting her legitimacy as the head of the Uzumaki Clan and an even stronger claim to applying for official clan status, or that she had brought the Sea Serpents to Konoha yet.

* * *

Naruko sat between Haku and Sai at Ichiraku Ramen with a steadily increasing pile of empty bowls in front of her. Haku, who had never seen Naruko eat ramen was watching in equal amounts of awe and slight disgust that the blonde could and would consume so much of the unhealthy noodles. Sai however was quite familiar with her habits and happily ate his own ramen.

"Where's it all going? A human stomach can't hold that much volume."

Ayame placed another bowl in front of Naruko, and took hold of one of the empty bowl stacks, sending Haku a sympathetic look. "We know. It's best to just accept that when it comes to Ramen Naru-Chan tends to defy the laws of physics. Well, more than you ninja do on a daily basis anyways."

Another three bowls later, Naruko finally leaned back on her stool rubbing contentedly at her belly and releasing a satisfied exhale. "I missed this so much since we left for Wave. Good stuff! So how long have you been back Sai?"

"About a week. Danzo-Sama wants me in the village for the duration of the upcoming Chuunin Exams."

"Are you taking part in them Sai-San?" Haku asked across from Naruko.

"No, I'm just here to help add to village security. But I wouldn't be surprised if Naruko-Chan was participating." He looked questioningly at her.

Naruko shrugged. "Dunno. Kakashi-Sensei hasn't said anything. If he is going to, he'll have to tell us at our next team meeting this weekend or else it'll be too late for us to get ready."

The three were interrupted by the arrival of three kids. "Nee-Chan! You're back!" Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon slid to a stop, losing their balance and falling over in a heap before them.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Naruko spun on her stool to look at them.

"You promised that you'd play ninja with us when you got back." Konohamaru grinned up at her from the bottom of the pile.

"Did I? I can't remember, it was so long ago." She crossed her arms, looking upwards in mock confusion.

"Nee-Chan!" All three of them unleashed their kicked puppy looks.

"Gah!" Naruko clenched her eyes shut. "Don't do that! I was just joking!" The kids all cheered, finally managing to untangle themselves and stand up. That face was unfair!

"Anyways guys, this is my new friend Haku-Chan. She'll be living in Konoha from now on, and she's one of the coolest Kunoichi I've ever met. She even managed to kick my ass the first time we met, but I got her back soon enough." She immediately regretted telling them that as they all gasped in amazement and crowded around Haku.

"You beat up Naruko-Nee? That's amazing! You must be the most powerful Kunoichi ever!" They practically had stars in their eyes as they introduced themselves to her.

"Hey, I said I beat her in the next fight. It's not a big deal." They weren't supposed to look at other people like that. She liked being their super awesome Nee-Chan. If you looked very closely, you might even say that she had a very tiny pout.

"Naruko-Chan's right, it's not a big deal." Haku grew a mischievous look, catching Naruko's growing jealousy. "Although, when _I_ won, Naru-Chan was unconscious. When _she_ won, I was just tired." The kids all went 'whoa' and started begging her to tell the whole story.

Naruko took her chance to cut off Haku's impromptu hijacking of her younger siblings. "You guys wanted to play Ninja right? So let's go! Sai-Kun has to get Haku-Chan settled into her new home, so let's get out of their hair alright?"

"But I wanna hear how Haku-Nee beat you. The only time I've ever seen you lose was when you fought that guy at the capital a few years ago." Konohamaru said from the stool on Haku's other side.

"Yea! Maybe next time we'll be able to beat you! And that's the Kubikiribocho! It's supposed to be able to repair itself with the iron found in blood!" Udon piped up, ever the scholar and strategist of their little group.

"And she has the most adorable bunny _ever_!" Moegi cooed over Shiro-Chan, feeding him pieces of celery.

Naruko momentarily thought about summoning a baby serpent, but quickly discarded the idea. There was no possible way that a serpent was going to beat out a bunny in adorableness. She could summon Suijin and really get their attention, but Danzo-Sama and Hokage-Sama would probably scold her for it. Something about improper use of her abilities or exposing a trump card probably. But she was losing her younger siblings here!

Naruko huffed quietly and crossed her arms. What'd Haku have that she didn't? Besides the unflappable rabbit, Kekkei Genkai, unfairly beautiful looks, super kind demeanor that inspired comfort in those around her, a big ass sword that could reconstruct itself with the blood of her enemies, and an understanding of social behavioral patterns and their use? Nothing! That's what!

"Looks like Haku-Chan's very popular, huh Naruko-Chan?" Sai teased her, getting a glare in response. Sai chuckled briefly before he interrupted the clamoring children. "Actually guys, Naruko-Chan's right. I do have to get Haku-Chan settled in, and the sooner the better. I'm sure you can get the story later."

"Of course. I'll be happy to tell you all about how I beat up Naru-Chan. It was actually rather easy, and she didn't even hit me once." She said, smiling mischievously at Naruko once more, as the kids once again 'whoa'ed. Naruko was now clearly pouting. Lucky for her, Konohamaru and his friends weren't looking. "By the way, where will I be staying Sai-San?"

"You'll be taking the guest bedroom in my apartment for the time being. I hope that won't be a problem Haku-Chan."

"That'll work just fine. It was nice meeting you all. Be good for Naru-Chan okay?" The kids all obediently agreed as Haku scooped up Shiro-Chan and moved beside Sai.

Sai patted Naruko on the back before they departed, leaving her with Konohamaru and his friends. "I'm glad you're back Naruko-Chan. I'll see you later okay?"

"Yea, later Sai-Kun, Haku-Chan." Naruko suddenly felt a very irrational fear that Haku was somehow taking her place. She knew that was nuts, but she'd never really had to share Sai with someone to this extent. Sure there was Lee and Tenten, but they'd never been around Sai for too long without her being there as well, and now Haku was going to be with him pretty much every hour of every day for the foreseeable future.

"So!" Naruko clapped her hands and turned to the kids. "How about that game then?"

The three perked up and turned to run towards their usual play area. "Yea! Bet we'll beat you there Nee-Chan!"

Naruko watched them go for a second before turning to the highly amused Ayame, pulling out her wallet and handing over a huge stack of ryo. "Thanks for the food Ayame-Nee. See you later."

"Bye Naruko-Chan, come back soon." She replied, waving bye to their best customer.

Naruko was just about to round the corner, following after the kids when she heard someone grunt roughly.

"Hey kid that hurt! Why don't you watch where you're going!?" She didn't recognize the voice, but it was definitely male, probably a few years older than her.

"Would you cut it out? You're going to get us in trouble." Another voice, female this time, also older than her.

"Relax Temari, this won't take long."

Then she heard Konohamaru yelp in pain.

Quickly turning the corner she spotted a pair of Suna-nin blocking the path for the three academy students. One male, and one female, probably the aforementioned Temari. The male was wearing a black cat suit, wore purple face paint, and carried a large bandage wrapped object on his back, while Temari had blonde hair pulled into four ponytails and wore a lavender battle dress with a red sash over a fishnet bodysuit with a large war fan on her back. But most importantly, the male was currently holding Konohamaru up in the air by his collar, choking him, and filling Naruko with a white hot rage.

Naruko vanished in a burst of speed, a large pothole being left where she had been standing. She reappeared under Konohamaru so he was sitting on her left bicep and shoulder, her left hand curling up to grip the Suna-nin's hand. Her right leg was positioned behind both of his legs and her right hand was currently threatening to crush his throat.

"Kankuro!" The other Suna-nin cried, reaching for the war fan on her back, but hesitating to draw it.

The now named Kankuro was staring terrified into Naruko's glowing red eyes as she slowly bent him backwards over her leg, increasing the pressure of her grip on him, forcing his hand open and his airway closed. Naruko's smile was decidedly absent due to her rage, a look of cold fury in its place, covering the burning anger.

Her voice was deadly quiet as she called upon Kyuubi's chakra.** "How **_**dare **_**you lay a violent hand on one of our civilians? One of our civilian **_**children**_** no less."** Kankuro's eyes were bulging as he gagged, his free hand struggling uselessly against the hand at his neck. **"Is this acceptable conduct in Suna? Because it most certainly is not here. You are here as guests, and as long as you are here you will abide by Konoha law."** She could feel his neck threatening to snap under her fingers and let up a tiny bit on her grip. _**"Do you understand me!?" **_She snarled.

Kankuro was able to move his head in a very weak, small nod, causing Naruko to throw him to the ground, making him slide several feet and covering the front of his cat suit with dirt and making multiple scrapes on his face, leaving him to cough, gag, and gasp for air while grabbing at his bruised throat.

Naruko kneeled down, letting Konohamaru off her shoulder and nudged him back to Moegi and Udon, all of whom were looking at her in amazement.

"**You in the tree, get down here."** To everyone's surprise a whirlwind of sand kicked up next to the Suna-nin, which quickly dispersed, revealing a red headed boy with the kanji for 'love' tattooed above his left eye and a large gourd strapped to his back.

"Kankuro, you're a disgrace to our village. Why do you think we came all this way?" His voice was calm, but Naruko could tell he was the most dangerous of the three. There was something about him that was putting her on edge.

"**That boy's like you are."** The Kyuubi's voice rumbled in her head. **"He holds the Ichibi. Poor bastard. Shukaku was even more intolerable than ever after the old man died."**

"_Old man? Kyuu-Kun? Who's the old man?" _Naruko asked him, but he ignored the question. Oh well, there were far more pressing things to attend to right now.

"G-Gaara, listen, these bastards started it." Kankuro wheezed out, pushing himself to his knees.

"Shut up. Or I'll kill you." This Gaara kid was carefully watching Naruko, his green eyes locked on hers. "Excuse them." He turned around and began walking away from Naruko. "Let's go. We didn't come here to fool around." The other two Suna-nin were quick to follow behind the redhead, Temari helping Kankuro keep his balance.

"_As if they're getting out of this so easily." _Naruko angrily thought to herself as she let the Kyuubi's chakra recede and rebuilt her smile. "I'm afraid you're not getting out of this so easily. I'm taking you all to the Hokage and recommending you be thrown out of the village. This is completely unacceptable; Sandaime-Sama enforces a strict no tolerance policy for things like child abuse. And ignorance of our law is an unacceptable excuse." She had even managed to put the cheer back in her voice. Must be the thought of their punishment after endangering one of _her_ precious people.

Temari and Kankuro both looked at her in horror. "Y-you can't really mean that! We're here for the Chuunin Exams and we've already gotten clearance from the Hokage for it." The blonde said desperately.

"Irrelevant. You may not know it, but the kid you were attacking is in fact the Hokage's grandson." The two paled considerable. "Now get moving. The Hokage Tower. Feel free to resist. There are at least two teams of ANBU watching us by now, and that'll just give us more of a reason to throw you out. Or kill you. Please, give me the opportunity." The two Suna-nin were looking a little sick to their stomachs and Gaara was glaring at her heatedly.

Naruko created a team of Shadow Clones and used them to herd the Suna-nin to the Hokage Tower, the kids following after them excitedly.

"What is your name?" Gaara asked her.

"Uzumaki Naruko."

"Your death will prove my existence."

Naruko stopped, and turned to look at him. "Is that a threat Gaara? Cause I promise you, if I ever have a reason to take you out," Her eyes became red again. **"Not even the Ichibi will be able to protect you from me." **This time all three Suna-nin gasped, Kankuro even backing away a few steps. Though to her surprise Temari shakily stepped forward, placing herself slightly in front of Gaara.

"You'll have to get through me first." Her voice trembled, but her eyes were firm.

Naruko stared at her. _"…I'm kind of envious." _She thought to herself. "Keep moving."

"I don't need your help Temari!" Gaara growled out before he continued on with a scowl.

* * *

The Hokage's Secretary looked curiously at her as she marched the Suna-nin inside. "Err, can I help you Uzumaki-San?"

"Is the Hokage free? I found this team of Suna-Genin assaulting a Konoha citizen, his grandson in particular."

The Secretary's face grew hard. "I see. Please go right ahead Uzumaki-San."

"Thank you." She didn't hesitate to knock on the Sandaime's door, and quickly heard him bid them enter.

A few minutes later everyone was in the Hokage's office, the Suna teams Jounin Sensei Baki having been quickly summoned, and Naruko explained what had happened, with Konohamaru, Udon and Moegi all agreeing with everything she told him.

"It is my recommendation that these three be thrown from the village and barred from the upcoming Chuunin Exams at the least."

The Sandaime took a puff from his pipe, and released it slowly as he stoically eyed the three Suna Genin in front of him.

"Do you three have anything to say for yourselves?" He kept his tone carefully neutral, despite the anger he felt at their treatment of his grandson.

Temari was their voice. "It was an ill conceived act and we all apologize for it. We were simply overexcited to be here for the Exams. I promise nothing like this will happen again. Please allow us to compete." The three bowed low, though Gaara only did it grudgingly.

Baki, their sensei then spoke up. "Their behavior was completely out of line, and they will be punished when we return to Suna. But I ask that you allow these three to compete in the Chuunin Exams, as outside of this incident they are the best that Suna has to offer. I guarantee that there will be no more incidents from any Suna team participating." He bowed low as well.

Sarutobi took another puff from his pipe, savoring the rich tobacco. "This may be the strongest team Suna has to offer, and our villages are allied. But I hope you understand that this cannot be tolerated. You attacked a child citizen of my village, my family no less, and it wasn't even a matter of self defense. Every participating village signed agreements that while their shinobi were within Konoha territory they would abide by and obey the rules and laws of our village. You have broken that, and so, as Sandaime Hokage of Konoha, I _should_ throw you from the village and bar you from the Exams. But as you are the Kazekage's children, and no real harm was done to Konohamaru, and in the interests of positive relations between our villages, I will allow you to continue, as long as you pay a fine of one thousand ryo each, as well as apologize to both Konohamaru and Naruko for the trouble you've caused. Be aware however, that should you break any of our laws again you _will_ be thrown from the village, as well as the exams, I don't care if you've made it to the final rounds. Am I clear?" There was also the fact that he wanted his Genin to wipe the floor with the Suna brats. He was certain Naruko would be able to, despite Gaara holding the Ichibi within him. Not only would he get that nice bit of revenge for Konohamaru, but it would also help heighten Konoha's reputation.

The Suna shinobi straightened up, Kankuro and Temari carrying expressions of profound relief, despite the hefty fine, and Gaara dropping his scowl and returning to his neutral expression. "Yes Hokage-Sama, thank you for your generosity. I will be keeping a closer eye on my team from now on." Baki said, looking sternly at his Genin. "I will have them put their fine together and delivered as soon as possible."

The three Suna Genin lined up before Naruko and Konohamaru, once again bowing, but nowhere near as low as they had to the Hokage. "We apologize for our behavior, please forgive us." They said in unison, though Gaara's and Kankuro's were halfhearted.

"Apology accepted." Konohamaru said, as he had always been taught to reply to apologies, regardless of how he really felt about it.

Naruko on the other hand, was in no way prepared to forgive them so easily. "No."

"Pardon?" Temari asked her confusedly.

"I do not forgive you. A member of your team attacked someone under my protection. Worse, he attacked someone I see as a little brother. It's going to be _much_ harder to get my forgiveness for that than some cheap words. You all should start praying that you don't come across me during the exams."

Kankuro looked ready to start yelling while Temari eyed her carefully. She may not like the girl, but she hadn't done anything that Temari herself wouldn't have in her situation.

Seeing the beginning signs of Gaara's building bloodlust, Baki decided it was time to hustle his team out of there. "Temari, Kankuro, Gaara! Let's go. You are in enough trouble already."

When they had all left the three kids pounced on Naruko.

"Nee-Chan you were so cool! That make up guy didn't have a chance!" Konohamaru jumped on her back, arms wrapping around her neck. Naruto leaned over so most of his weight was on her back rather than throat.

"How'd you make your voice do that cool growly thing?" Moegi was shaking Naruko's left arm

Udon was similarly grabbing at her right arm. "I've never seen you move so fast, it was amazing!"

The three's shouts were all blending into an unintelligible cacophony, as Naruko basked in their adoration. _"Hah! I'm still their favorite! Suck it Haku-Chan!"_ She crowed triumphantly in her mind.

The Sandaime pointedly cleared his throat, looking quite amused as the three kids went red faced at their behavior in front of the leader of the village.

"Right, thanks Jii-Chan. We'll just finally get to our game, assuming we don't run into any other distractions. Have fun with all that paperwork!" Naruko grabbed up Udon and Moegi and **shunshined (Body Flicker)** them out of his office, leaving the Hokage to look at the piles of paper on his desk in dismay and sigh in resignation. There would be even more to deal with after this incident.

"Well, it was fun while it lasted."

* * *

A few days later Team 7 met, with Kakashi actually showing up on time. Needless to say, Team 7 was highly suspicious of this.

Naruko drew her sword and pointed it straight at 'Kakashi's' chest. "Who are you and what have you done with Kakashi-Sensei?"

Kakashi was hoping this would happen, and used a minor genjutsu to cause the skies to darken, and thunder to echo in the distance. "Muahahahahaha!" He cackled, leaning backwards with his hands curled into claws at his sides in the classic mad scientist pose. "I'll never tell! Now that I've taken the place of Kakashi the Copy Ninja I will be able to infiltrate and take over Konoha!" If they weren't going to give him an opportunity to use his excuses then he had to find some other way to mess with his team.

Then Naruko kicked him really hard in the left shin. "Ow! Son of a-! Argh!" Kakashi was now hopping on his right foot, and clutching at his new bruise. "But seriously, is it really so hard to believe that I'm actually here on time? I haven't been late for one of our meetings for a month now."

"We were also out on a mission, facing enemy ninja that could potentially kill us at any moment during that month." Sasuke pointed out.

"Well, I'm not going to be late for meeting you guys anymore ok? What Naruko said before the mission to Wave sunk in, and I'm going to keep doing better. So! On to business. I've nominated all of you for the upcoming Chuunin Exams, so if you want to participate you will need to fill in these registration forms and bring them to the Academy in three days. Think carefully before you decide. The Chuunin Exams are dangerous, and people _will_ die in them. But I wouldn't have nominated you if I didn't think you had what it takes to get through it. That's it for today. I want you all to concentrate on whether or not you'll be taking the Exams." Kakashi quickly vanished in a swirl of leaves.

"So what do you two think?" Naruko asked, already knowing her teammates answers.

"In." All three said at the same time. There was no way Sasuke would ever turn down an opportunity like this, Hinata had tons more confidence than she used to, and Naruko knew she could have made Chuunin years ago if Danzo and the Hokage had let her.

The next two days would be spent on equipment maintenance and resupplying.

* * *

The day of the Exams, Team 7 met in front of the Academy, rested and in high spirits. Handing their registrations to the Chuunin at the front desk, they were told to make their way to room 301 and await further instruction.

Upon reaching the second floor, they were confused to see a crowd of Chuunin hopefuls trying to get into a room blocked off by what seemed to be a couple of veteran Genin.

Naruko was even further surprised to see one of those Genin punch Lee, knocking him to the floor, who was quickly followed by Tenten. She felt another thrum of rage, but was able to settle it with the fact that she _knew_ Lee and Tenten were better than that. There had to be some sort of plan in place. She just didn't know why they were bothering with this pre-exam test. She knew they had Hyuuga Neji on their team to point out any Genjutsu even if they weren't able to recognize the illusion placed on the sign themselves.

She noticed Sasuke giving off his smirk of superiority and opening his mouth, so she quickly shoved him, making him glare at her. "Keep your mouth shut Uchiha. If they're too stupid and weak to recognize the Genjutsu then they deserve to fail here." He scoffed, but didn't say anything.

Tenten and Lee slinked off to the stairs with a defeated air, not noticing Team 7 until Naruko spoke up.

"…So…Why?" Naruko asked incredulously, hands lifting up in the air to emphasize her confusion.

"Eh?" They looked up. "Naru-Chan!" She was swept up into a group hug by the two of them, with Lee picking both girls up and spinning around.

"I was hoping we'd see you here. When'd you get back?" Tenten asked as Neji joined them from where he had been watching.

"About a week ago. But seriously. Why?" She gestured at the crowd.

"Lee's idea. He wants to trick the competition into believing we're worse then we really are."

Naruko blinked. "…But everyone there is probably going to be eliminated because they can't figure out that it's a Genjutsu."

"But everyone who passes by and is not tricked will have seen us there. So they'll be underestimating us when we arrive at the actual room for the test!" Lee exclaimed, before immediately covering his mouth and looking back at the crowd, hoping they hadn't heard him.

"Lee! Control your voice!" Tenten shouted at him, even louder than he had been.

"Okay, let's just get going alright?" Naruko led the way up to the third floor, everyone else following her example. On the way she noticed Neji staring at Hinata, and slowed down so she'd end up between the two.

"Is there a problem with Hina-Chan, Neji-San? You're staring at her awfully hard."

"No, of course not. Just thinking is all."

"Good luck Neji-Niisan. I hope you pass." Hinata timidly told him from behind Naruko. It annoyed Naruko to no end that she hadn't been able to break Hinata's timid nature in regards to her father and cousin.

"Luck doesn't exist. It is my fate to pass these exams."

"You just can't accept someone's well wishes gracefully, can you?" Naruko snarked.

"Hn." Was his only reply.

"_Must be an emo pretty boy thing."_ Naruko mused to herself.

They quickly found Kakashi leaning against the wall next to the door to room 301. "Kakashi-Sensei, what's up?"

"Just some last second words." He turned to Team Gai. "You three should go on ahead. It won't be long until the Exam's start. These three will follow shortly."

"Alright, see ya in a bit Naru-Chan." Tenten squeezed in a one armed hug and entered the room with her teammates, Lee sending back a victory sign with a grin.

"I'm glad you three all showed up. If one of you had decided not to participate then none of you could."

"And you didn't tell us this before…why?" Naruko asked him.

"I wanted to make sure that none of you pressured your teammates into applying. I wanted to make sure that anyone here was here of their own free will."

"Well we all had decided from pretty much the instant you gave us the registration forms anyways." Naruko told him.

"But I told you to think it over!" Kakashi sounded frustrated. Why was his team so weird?

"Hn. I didn't need to. I've been thinking about this from the moment I became a Genin." Sasuke said.

"Ditto." Naruko said.

"Me too. If I can become a Chuunin then I'm that much closer to being ready to take over as the Hyuuga Clan Head."

"Well, whatever the case. I'm proud of you three. Now get in there and show them just how good a shinobi you all are." Kakashi said, jerking a thumb at the door.

* * *

**End chapter!**

**So we're back in Konoha, Haku's getting settled in with Sai, Naruko's laid down the law on the Suna Siblings, and the Chuunin Exams are starting next chapter.**

**As always, please review and let me know how I did. Feedback, constructive criticism and questions all welcome!**


	18. The First Test

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Rurouni Kenshin or Chrono Cross. I am writing this purely to see reader reaction and for fun. I make no financial profit doing this.

Chapter 18 – The First Test

The three Genin of Team 7 entered the room to find the hundreds of Chuunin hopefuls turn to glare at them.

Naruko took one look and handled it exactly how she handled her Academy classmates. Glaring right back at them with a healthy, or unhealthy depending on who you asked, dose of killing intent added in.

"What the hell are you all staring at?! Mind your own business before I make you my business." Needless to say, the vast majority of them quickly flinched and looked away from her, the closest ones even backing away a few steps. Most Genin had never been exposed to killing intent, at least not to the magnitude that Naruko could project.

Unsurprisingly, her method of handling her female classmates' glares had given the whole class something like a minor immunization to it, as she could see Teams 8 and 10 making their way over to them unaffectedly. Perhaps she should bring it up with Danzo-Sama for the Academy curriculum. It would be invaluable to have Genin able to withstand it so early on, and it would definitely serve to cull out some of the weaker candidates.

"Ah, there's that nostalgic feeling of impending doom when someone tries intimidating Naruko-Chan." Came Kiba's familiar, boisterous voice as Team 8 reached them. "So how's my girl doing?" He slung an arm around Naruko's shoulders.

"When did you get a girl Kiba? I thought you were still chasing after me. I guess you had to learn sometime that it was impossible for you to beat me."

Kiba groaned defeatedly as Naruko snatched Akamaru from where he had been perched on his head.

"Hey Aka-Chan, I missed you." She cooed at the small white puppy, hugging him to her chest and getting a lick on the cheek in response.

"What about me? Man, puppy always gets the love." Kiba grumbled.

"Yea, I missed you too Kiba, but Akamaru is a puppy, and therefore cuter than you. Don't take it personally, every puppy is cuter than every boy. Period." Naruko said, handing the puppy back to his partner.

"Sasuke-Kun!" A platinum blonde missile hurtled into the Uchiha's back, with Ino draping her arms around his neck from behind. "There you are! I missed you so much since we were separated. Did you miss me?"

His response was much less enthusiastic. "Get off." Not even a full sentence was spared for the smitten Yamanaka, as he pushed her arms off, once again making Naruko wonder what the hell anyone anywhere saw in the guy.

"Wow Ino, that's got to be a new record for the fastest shot down." Sakura said from beside Shino. Naruko tilted her head in interest. Sakura had changed, big time. She still wore the same clothes, but her presence and body were far stronger than Naruko had ever seen it before. There were actual muscles on her arms and legs and she could see the calluses on her hands. Apparently Kurenai-Sensei had been very busy with the pinkette.

"Shut up forehe-" Ino stopped short when she saw Sakura, eyes drifting over her old rival. So Naruko wasn't the only one who'd noticed.

"What's wrong piggy? See something interesting?"

"Whatever forehead. Sasuke-Kun is still mine." Ino looked a little shaken by Sakura's clear growth.

Sakura smirked in response before her eye caught Naruko and it turned into a friendlier smile, making Naruko's eyebrow shoot up. That was unexpected. It was definitely the warmest look Sakura had ever given her since she'd first beaten up Sasuke.

"Hello Naruko-San. I hope I get the chance to test myself against you during these exams." She sounded a little bit like Konohamaru when he got into one of his hero worship moods with her. What had Kurenai-Sensei done with the girl?

Sensing Naruko's confusion Kiba spoke up. "Kurenai-Sensei's made a respectable Kunoichi out of our cherry blossom. She can even hold her own against me and Shino now."

"I look forward to it Haruno. If we don't then we'll have to schedule something for after the exams."

"You can call me by my name you know. If you want I mean." Sakura seemed to be making an effort to become her friend. Naruko's curiosity was going haywire, wanting to know what had happened to change so much. Sakura sounded nervous, but hopeful.

"…We'll see Haruno. You're off to a good start." Sakura nodded with a happy, relieved smile. She looked like she was finally taking her choice of careers seriously, and Kiba's word was good to Naruko, but she wanted to see Sakura in action before she came to any conclusions.

"So, looks like all the rookies have been nominated this year. How troublesome." Came Shikamaru's drawl as he and Choji joined the group. Ino had run off without them the moment she'd spotted Sasuke, leaving her teammates behind.

"Hey guys. How's everyone doing?" Choji asked them, munching on a bag of chips. Naruko noted that he had fixed up his Hitai-ate on a standard dark blue headband wrapped around his forehead as opposed to that ridiculous panty style headband he had originally.

"Hey Shika, Choji." Naruko's eyes narrowed on them, taking in their forms, making them start to sweat at the scrutiny. "You look nervous. You stopped training without me there to push you didn't you!?" She accused them in a loud whisper, covering her lips with her hands so the rest of the room wouldn't know what she'd said. Wouldn't want to make targets of her friends after all. "I knew this would happen! You've atrophied! I am going to _kick your asses _the next chance I get." Both boys looked very nervous at her declaration. They had been hoping she wouldn't be able to tell that they'd started slacking off in their training.

"My, my. You guys are all being kind of noisy over here. You should really keep it down when there's so much tension in the room." The rookies were approached by a glasses wearing, silver haired Konoha Genin. Naruko recognized him as Yakushi Kabuto, one of Danzo's agents. "Although with her little performance earlier, I guess you don't need to worry too much." He said, nodding at Naruko.

"Who are you to tell us what to do!?" Kiba growled out at him.

"I'm Yakushi Kabuto. I've taken these exams before, and you're all rookies. You should take my advice and quit drawing so much attention to yourselves. Just look around, everyone here is on a hair trigger and a bunch of rookies like you are going to be prime targets."

True enough, even with Naruko's earlier display there were still many candidates eyeing them. They knew that Naruko would only be with the two she entered with, so the other rookies were all up for grabs.

"Since I'm your senpai here, I'll help you all out." Kabuto said pulling out a deck of cards. "I've gone through these exams several times already, and in each of them I made sure to collect as much information as possible. These are my nin-info cards, and I've burned that information on them with my own chakra, so they can't be viewed without me." As a demonstration he took one card and with a quick burst of chakra there was a display of the Elemental Nations and a list of how many teams each Hidden Village sent for the current exams.

"The Chuunin Exams are done to strengthen friendly relations between villages and help ensure that war doesn't break out. But the real purpose is a display of power, so people have an idea of each country's strength."

"Do your cards have information on individual participants?" Sasuke asked, stepping closer for a better look.

"Of course. Is there someone you're interested in?"

"There is."

"Well, my information of current participants isn't perfect, but I'll show you what I have. It includes information on the nine of you as well. Tell me what you know about whomever interests you, and we'll see what I can find."

"Uzumaki Naruko of Konoha."

"Oh, so you know the name then. That makes it easy." He quickly drew a card from the deck, holding it in front of his face. "Here we go."

Another quick burst of chakra and a picture of Naruko and a breakdown of her abilities appeared on the surface of the card.

"Uzumaki Naruko, age 12, rookie Genin of Konohagakure. She also goes by the moniker of Naruko The Tenjin due to her skill with a sword. Mission records include 43 D-Ranks, 1 C-rank, and… is this right? 1 A-Rank!?" Naruko nodded in confirmation. "Wow. She was directly and critically involved in the liberation of an entire country on her first mission outside of the village. Very impressive, especially for a rookie. Jounin sensei is Hatake Kakashi and teammates are Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuuga Hinata. Her Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Kenjutsu are all extremely high, and her Genjutsu is above average. She's one of the favorites among the current higher ups for promotion." Kabuto's voice carried over to the rest of the room, but Naruko was the only one of the rookies to notice it, as all the others were distracted by her card and Kabuto. It was a calculated risk to increase her infamy among other villages. And it seemed to be working as the crowd began murmuring and shifting around.

"Kabuto-San, I have someone I'd like to know about as well, if you don't mind."

"Of course not Naruko-San. Please go ahead."

"Sabaku no Gaara."

"You know the name as well? I guess I won't be challenged today." Just as quick as before, he pulled another, seemingly random card from the deck and revealed the information on it, this time with and image of Gaara on it.

"Sabaku no Gaara, age 12, Genin of Sunagakure. Mission records include no D-Ranks, 8 C-Ranks, and 1 B-Rank. Not nearly as impressive as Naruko-San's A-Rank, though there is a footnote here that he has come back from every mission completely unharmed."

Naruko's eyes narrowed. "Unharmed? Do you know how?"

"No, I'm sorry. "He smiled apologetically at her. "But I was never able to find out. His abilities are a complete mystery to me. Suna, Ame, Kusa, Taki, and Oto have sent many talented Genin for these exams, but it appears that Naruko-San and Gaara-San are the ones to watch out for. Oto is a newly founded hidden village, located somewhere in The Land of Rice Fields, so not much is known about them, and they've only sent one team to participate." Kabuto packed away his cards. "That's all I've got unless there are any more specific people you want to hear about. Needless to say, there's some scary competition this time around."

Before anything else could happen, Naruko spotted three blurs darting between the participants, making their way towards Kabuto. They may think that they were fast, but Naruko could see them so easily they may as well be standing still in bright neon orange and shouting at the top of their lungs. They were the Oto Genin Kabuto had just mentioned, and probably wanted to prove something about the strength of their village. Too bad for them they picked a Konoha Genin to target for it. It certainly wasn't something she was going to allow.

Two kunai darted through the air, launched by a boy who wore facial armor under his Hitai-ate, extending down the sides of his face to his jaw. Naruko easily plucked the knives from the air and sent them back at the boy at twice their original speed, impaling them up to the hilt in his shoulders as he shouted in pain, landing on his back.

Another boy, this time wrapped up like a mummy, with one eye visible, a fur pelt on his back, and a strange looking gauntlet on his right arm was pulling it back for a punch. He didn't even get to start swinging his arm forward before Naruko had latched onto the gauntlet with both hands and her right leg collided with his face, the metal of her Suneate crushing his nose with a distinct cracking noise. Blood quickly began spreading under the bandages where his nose and lips were.

He would have flown backwards into the crowd if Naruko hadn't kept her hold on the boy, nearly tearing his arm out of its socket. "You foreigners all seem to have a problem with a lack of respect for your hosts. The arrogance of you all offends me. Punks like you Oto nobodies need to _learn their place._" She twisted his arm, threatening to dislocate it as she maneuvered his head into a more vulnerable position.

She was just pulling her leg back for another kick, one that would probably tear his head from his shoulders, when there was a mass **Shunshin (Body Flicker)** at the front of the room, signaling the arrival of the exam proctors.

"Quiet down you punks! You there!" A scarred man with a black trench coat and the uniform of the T&I division under it yelled, pointing at Naruko and the Oto Genin. "Don't think that you can do whatever you like. Do you want to fail before even starting the exam?"

"No sir. I was just defending my fellow Konoha Shinobi from a bunch of arrogant upstarts." Naruko said, casually shoving the mummy wannabe down, sending him sliding several feet across the floor. The first Oto-nin had removed the kunai from his shoulders by now and was being tended to the only girl of their team. A girl with long black hair, who was otherwise unremarkable. All of them were glaring at her, with trace amounts of fear. Naruko's response was to keep smiling and point behind them at every single Konoha Genin there who were currently glaring murder at them. Naruko's line about defending her comrade seemed to have sparked a great deal of righteous anger at the trio. They probably weren't feeling too hot about their chances anymore, and there was definite blood in the water with two thirds of their team being so badly injured right there in front of them all.

Deeming the incident over, the man turned to the whole class. "I am Morino Ibiki, the proctor for the first stage of these Chuunin Exams. I'll take this opportunity to tell you all, that all participants are restricted from fighting each other unless given permission from the examiners. If you are caught breaking this rule you will be disqualified. We will be starting the first exam immediately. Each participant will approach the front desk, show their ninja ID and be issued a number. The number indicates where you will be seated. Once everyone has been seated we will distribute the papers for the written exam."

As Naruko approached the desk, walking by the groaning boy she'd just almost killed, she kicked his hand out from under him as he was trying to stand, while his other hand had been at his forehead, trying to get his senses back in order. The sudden lack of support lead to him falling face first on the wooden floor, right on his broken nose, making him cry out in pain.

"Uzumaki!" Ibiki looked warningly at her as she smiled at him.

"My foot slipped. It was an accident." No one believed her.

Naruko ended up sitting between Sakura and a glasses wearing, red headed, red eyed, and currently red faced girl from Kusa, whom Naruko quickly found a great deal of interest in.

"You're an Uzumaki." She said, staring into the girls eyes. Densho-Sama had been right. It was an instinctive knowledge thanks to the ring she currently wore.

"U-um, p-pardon?" She sounded like Hinata had way back when, just with a much smaller stutter.

"You have Uzumaki blood in your veins. Were you aware of this?"

The red haired girl shook her head, prompting Naruko to reveal the signet ring on her pinky. "You probably heard earlier, but I'm Uzumaki Naruko. The current legitimate head of Clan Uzumaki. What's your name?"

"Karin. Er, I mean…Uzumaki…Karin?" She sounded unsure of herself. "I mean, uh I never thought I was part of a clan. I grew up in an orphanage, so I've always just been Karin. Why do you even think I'm an Uzumaki?"

Unfortunately, they couldn't continue their conversation as the rest of the participants had been seated and Ibiki and his assistants had begun distributing the tests and deliver their instructions.

"Talk later." Naruko told her. It was more of an order really. This was the first, and could very well be her only chance to get to know someone blood related, no matter how distant a relation it might be, and she wasn't about to let this chance pass her up. Karin nodded in response, her blush slowly fading.

"Listen closely because I won't be repeating myself. This will be a ten question test, each question worth one point. There are three rules for this test. The first rule is that you will all start with ten points. If you get one question wrong, then you lose one point. The second rule; whether you pass or fail will depend on your total points as a Genin team. The third rule; if an examiner determines that you have cheated or done something similar during the test, each instance will lose you two points. This means that there are some among you who will fail without their test even being graded. Also, if anyone on your team gets a zero, then the whole team will fail the test. The final question will be administered forty five minutes after the start of the exam. You have one hour. Begin!"

* * *

The entire time Karin had been in Konoha there had been a chakra signature that reminded her of the sun, but without the harsh glare. It was warm, it was bright, and it was massive. She had always had a great deal of talent as a Sensor Ninja, able to detect chakra signatures almost effortlessly. She had even been able to refine and engineer her technique into making herself nearly impossible to find by making her own signature vanish.

And now she was sitting right next to that brilliant, beautiful, star of a chakra signature, and its bearer had just told her that they were family, though just how genuine that claim is was uncertain. The moment that blonde now known as Uzumaki Naruko had entered the room she hadn't been able to take her eyes off of her, even as one of Karin's teammates pointed out the Uchiha Clan heir to her.

Karin shook herself from her thoughts and focused back on her test, occasionally peaking at Naruko from the corner of her eye. She hoped that they would get to have that talk. She wanted to learn more about her, much more, but that depended on the both of them living through these exams. Maybe she could even get away from that horrid man with her help. Konoha did have a lot of very talented and powerful shinobi after all.

She did her best not to squirm as she felt a small serpentine body slither up her leg and spit out a scroll into the hand she'd been holding on her lap.

* * *

Naruko looked through the questions on her test, answering the questions that she knew before resorting to outside sources. She was able to answer all but one of the questions due to Danzo's tutoring. She still had plenty of time left until the last question was administered, so she leaned back in her chair, relaxing a bit and observing the room. Unsurprisingly, she saw many of the candidates cheating, and the examiners were marking things down on their clipboards. Occasionally they would call out names and numbers, failing them for being caught cheating too many times.

Hinata seemed to be wrapping up, using her Byakugan to look at everyone's answers. Sasuke looked like he was struggling as he glared down at the paper. Hopefully he would be able to answer at least one correctly so they didn't get failed.

On her right she noticed that Sakura had already finished her test and was looking rather bored. And it had only been fifteen minutes too. Deciding 'to hell with it', Naruko poked Sakura, getting her attention and mouthing 'Do you mind?' while pointing at her test. Sakura smirked mischievously and deliberately looked away from her test, leaving it unguarded. Ibiki hadn't said anything about preserving their answers from the competition, and it's not like Naruko was from a different village or anything.

Without even bothering to try hiding it at all, Naruko grabbed Sakura's test and examined her answers, taking the opportunity to check her own against the pinkette's as she memorized the answer she hadn't known. Sakura had after all been the smartest Kunoichi of the class, always getting top marks in the academic portions of their lessons. Once she finished with it, she slid it back into place, mouthing 'thanks' to the girl. Getting caught once hardly mattered, and besides, Hidden Villages shared information amongst their forces as it became necessary, so this was just an example of Konoha intelligence being shared.

She could've done something elaborate, like using a variation of the substitution Jutsu to swap with another participants test, or caused mass confusion with creative use of shadow clones or something like that. Heck, she could even create a **Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clone) **and simultaneously transform it into a fly or something before anyone had even noticed and find the answers that way, but why risk exposing those abilities, or expend that energy when she had no idea what else she would have to deal with later?

Sakura suddenly grew a huge smirk, moments before Ino loudly cried out.

"What the hell!?" Everyone looked over, many participants jumping in their seats, due to the Yamanaka's sudden and pained shout. She was clutching her head with both hands and looked like she was suffering from the world's worst brain freeze.

"No speaking during the test! If it happens again you're out!" Ibiki shouted at her, as she settled down, glaring at Sakura who mockingly blew a kiss and wink at her.

Once the class had settled back down, Naruko noticed Sasuke looking a great deal calmer. He must have taken advantage of the opening created by Ino's outburst to get his answers.

Soon enough it was time for the final question.

"It has been forty five minutes, and the tenth and final question will now be administered. This question is not like the others that you have already seen. This problem has what you would call a Hopeless Rule. First, you must decide whether you wish to take it or not."

The class started shifting about, murmuring amongst themselves. Temari, one of the Kunoichi from Suna voiced the question they were all thinking. "Choose? So what happens if we don't take the question?"

"If you choose not to take the question, then your points will be reduced to zero. In other words, you and your team will fail."

This of course got the remaining participants to start proclaiming that 'Of course they'd take it.' Ibiki let them get themselves and each other good and riled up before he continued. His test would be even more effective with people's emotions flaring.

"But, if you choose to take it and answer incorrectly, then your points will be reduced to zero, _and_ you will forever be barred from taking the Chuunin Exams or advancing to Chuunin at all."

"What kind of bullshit rule is that!?" Kiba stood up from his seat in outrage. "There are people here who have taken the exam before!"

Ibiki laughed condescendingly. "You were all just unlucky enough to get _me_ for an examiner this time around. I am the rule maker for this test. If it's too much for you, then all you have to do is quit. Those of you who are not confident can choose to back out and try again next time. So let's get started. Who among you wish to quit now?"

Naruko chuckled silently as hands slowly drifted up, signaling their owners wish to quit. Examiners announced the names and numbers of those who failed themselves. This Ibiki guy was an evil genius. It takes a special kind of guts or clear thinker to get past this particular test. To Naruko this test didn't faze her in the slightest. Most people here would be thinking rank indicated strength, and to an extent they were correct. But a title did not prevent you from getting stronger. It was just a word. Theoretically, an academy student could be more powerful than even a Kage. It would just be very unexpected, but it was perfectly possible. So to a girl whose only concern was becoming the strongest ninja in existence, such a threat was of no concern to her.

Teams were dropping out rapidly, most losing their nerve at seeing such large numbers flee. Naruko was somewhat proud to note that no one from her graduating class looked to even be considering running away. Although she was also annoyed to note that there were many Konoha Genin giving up. If Naruko wouldn't be simultaneously bolstering the morale of the foreigners she would be berating them all for their narrow thinking, and hopefully inspiring them to keep going. By the time people had stopped quitting, the pool of Chuunin hopefuls had diminished greatly.

"Alright then. It looks like anyone who was going to quit has quit. For the first exam, everyone that remains in this room passes!"

There was a pause of several moments as everyone processed what he'd just said. Naruko was laughing in disbelief in her own mind. This man was so evil! An evil, evil genius!

"What!? What do you mean we pass!? What about the tenth question!?" This time it was Sakura standing from her seat.

Ibiki laughed again, this time a much warmer version. "The choice in taking the tenth question or not was the question."

"Then what was the point of the first nine questions!? That was all a waste of time!?" Temari was standing as well, scowling at the scarred man.

"That's not true. The first nine problems served their purpose. They were there so that we could evaluate your abilities to gather information. All of these questions were beyond what a Genin would be able to answer. So most of you at least came to the conclusion that in order to get points you would have to cheat. To make this test possible, we seeded three Chuunin among you with the answers, to be the targets of your cheating. Those who cheated without careful consideration and execution were weeded out." Ibiki removed his headband revealing his head. It was a grotesque collection of torture scars, making more than one Genin nervous, seeing the burn marks, screw holes, and scars.

"Information is the most vital part of any mission you will take. It can be even more valuable than life at times and is more often than not the determining factor of a battle. Remember this. Obtaining incorrect information can cause great damage to your teammates, allies, and villages. So we made you gather information through cheating, and kicked out those we found lacking."

"So then what was the point of the tenth question?" Temari asked, having been mollified by his explanations.

"The tenth question was the most important part of this exam. It was a take or not take situation, and needless to say, it was a painful and intimidating choice. Let me pose a situation. You are handed a mission to capture a secret document, protected by an unknown number of enemies, with an unknown level of equipment and skill and they may have prepared traps for you. Do you accept the mission or not? Do you avoid the dangerous mission because the lives of you and your team are in danger? The answer is no. As Chuunin you will be expected to lead teams on potentially heavy risk and unavoidable missions. The courage and ability to keep going in tough and dangerous situations is the point of the tenth question, and everyone here has passed that test. Those who give up so easily, thinking to themselves 'next time', do not have what it takes to be a Chuunin."

Moments after he'd finished his sentence a dark object crashed through the windows, quickly revealing itself to be the familiar form of Mitarashi Anko and a large black banner proclaiming 'Second Examiner Mitarashi Anko is here!'.

"There's no time for celebrations brats! I am the second examiner Mitarashi Anko!" She raised a fist high into the air. "Follow me to the next examination!"

"You're early Anko." Ibiki informed her, leaning his head out from behind the banner.

Anko ignored him, looking out at the remaining Genin. "54 huh? You left 18 teams for me Ibiki. You're losing your touch."

"There are a bunch of good candidates this time through."

"Oh well. I'll be cutting that number at least in half with my test. I'm getting excited just thinking about it. Well! If you'll all follow me, we'll be starting the second exam immediately. Don't fall behind now." She finished with a sultry tone before jumping back out the window she'd entered from. Naruko didn't hesitate to follow after her, which acted like a signal for everyone else to move.

Ibiki and his team were left in the room shaking their heads in amusement.

* * *

"Did you paint all of these Sai-Kun?" Haku asked her pale host as she admired the pictures on his walls. His walls were decorated in dozens of ink paintings depicting Sai, Naruko, a girl with her hair pulled into two buns on her head, and a boy with a bowl style haircut in various activities, most of them training. There were noticeably more of Naruko than the other two though.

"Ah yes. It's a hobby of mine, capturing the good times I have with my friends." Sai said as he added some cabbage to the beef pot he was preparing.

"They're very good. It must be a relief that if the whole Shinobi thing doesn't work out that you have some skills to fall back on." She said jokingly. "Is this when you first met Naru-Chan?" She asked, pointing at the picture at the start of the wall. The picture was of Sai and Naruko both standing cluelessly in Danzo's courtyard, smiling at each other. Even in the picture their smiles looked eerie.

Sai looked over, smiling happily at the memory. "That's right. We were seven in that picture and Danzo-Sama had just given us the assignment to go out into the village and make a friend. Neither of us had any idea how to go about it. That was the day we became friends, though we hadn't realized it at the time." The walls of Sai's living room were something of a timeline of pictures, as he and his friends grew older.

"An assignment to make a friend? Isn't that a little odd?"

"Very. But I'm sure you've noticed by now that there's a degree of social awkwardness to Naruko-Chan most of the time." Haku nodded, sitting down at the table. "Well, that's something the two of us share, and back then we were much worse than we are now. It was that assignment that found us our first two friends, Tenten and Rock Lee, the girl and boy respectively in the pictures. It's largely thanks to them that we've come so far."

Haku looked wistful. "It must be nice to have such good friends. For the longest time it was just me, Zabuza-Sama, Gozu, and Meizu. No real time to meet anyone."

"It is. You should realize that Naruko-Chan fully intends to integrate you into our circle. You'll meet the others first chance she gets to introduce you all. I know Tenten's going to love you just because you have the Kubikiribocho if nothing else, she's an extreme weapons aficionado, and Lee's just flat out always happy and excited to have a new friend."

Haku began looking nervous as Sai placed the food on the table. "I wouldn't want to impose like that. Wouldn't people be uncomfortable with a complete stranger just suddenly jumping in? And on that note, thank you very much for your hospitality Sai-Kun. I must be such a bother." Haku, sweet girl that she is, was not at all used to being a guest in someone's home like this, and it felt strange.

"Nonsense Haku-Chan. Any friend of Naruko-Chan's is a friend of mine. And I'm quite certain Tenten-Chan and Lee feel the same. I'm sure you'll understand when you meet them. They have some…quirks that are quite distinctive." Sai smiled at her. "Please help yourself." He said, gesturing to the beef pot.

"I hope Naru-Chan is alright. People die in the Chuunin Exams." She said, pulling a mushroom from the pot and draping it over her rice bowl.

"I'm sure she's fine. She's definitely no pushover. And when it comes down to it, she can beat just about any Chuunin, and even most low level Jounin." Despite his words, Haku could tell he was just as, probably even more, worried for their blonde friend than she was.

* * *

**End Chapter!**

**So, I know that a lot of this chapter was pretty much what happened in the series, and I apologize for that. I'll try to get the next chapter out a bit quicker than usual as compensation.**

**A few people have commented on the pairings, and well, I still don't know what the final outcome will be. Odds are that I won't know until after we're in Shippuden time. I promise, the moment the pairings have revealed themselves to me I will tell everyone and modify the character filters accordingly.**

**Also! I've recently figured out that I've been spelling Choji's name wrong this entire time! *Facedesk!* There's apparently no 'u' in his name.**

**As always, please review and let me know how I did. All feedback, constructive criticism and questions welcome!**


	19. The Second Test

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Rurouni Kenshin or Chrono Cross. I am writing this purely to see reader reaction and for fun. I make no financial profit doing this.

Chapter 19 – The Second Test

"Welcome to training ground 44, also known as The Forest of Death. This is where your second exam will be taking place." Anko told them all as they stood before the fence surrounding the forest. "While I tell you all about the exam, you all have to sign one of these forms saying that Konoha is in no way responsible for your likely deaths while taking this test." She said, handing a stack of Liability Agreements to the nearest participant. "If you don't sign, then you don't get to participate. This will be a no holds barred free for all in which each team will be fighting," She pulled out a pair of scrolls, one labeled 'Heaven' the other labeled 'Earth'. "For these. To pass, you must reach the tower in the middle of the forest with every member of your team alive, and have at least one copy of both of these scrolls in your possession. There are 18 teams here, so nine teams will start with the Heaven scroll, and the other nine will start with the Earth scroll. You will have a maximum of five days to complete your objectives once the test starts, and there will be no leaving the forest until the test is over. And oh yea, don't open the scrolls, or you won't like the consequences." She finished with a bloodthirsty grin.

"What!? But what about food!?" Choji yelled in horror. He didn't have enough food on him to sustain himself for nearly a week!

"There's plenty of food in there. There are all sorts of edible plants and animals. You just have to find them. Just make sure you don't poison yourself." Anko said, her grin widening. "Once your whole team has signed their forms, bring them over to that tent," She pointed to the large white tent to her right, with a pair of Chuunin at the entrance. "And hand them to me, where I will give you your scroll. You have thirty minutes until the test starts; anyone without their scroll at that time is disqualified."

As soon as she heard this, Naruko created a Shadow Clone to take her place and dashed off into the village, much to her teammates' confusion.

"What are you doing Uzumaki?" Sasuke asked her, narrowing his eyes.

"You'll see soon enough. Just sit tight" The clone said, watching the other teams making their way to the tent.

Almost twenty minutes later, just as the last team besides them was exiting the tent, Naruko returned.

"Let's go, don't wanna get disqualified for taking too long." Naruko said, making her way into the tent.

"There you are fat ass. I was starting to think you weren't gonna make it." Anko said, leaning back on her chair with her feet propped up on the table before her. There was a crate beside her holding all of the scrolls.

"Sorry, I suddenly had an errand to run. But we made it." Naruko said as they handed over their forms, Anko quickly checking them over before tossing a Heaven scroll at Naruko, who tucked it into one of her inner jacket pockets.

"You wouldn't mind giving us the other scroll as well would you Anko?"

"Chah, and why would I do a thing like that? You trying to cheat fatty? Maybe I should disqualify you for even asking such a thing." Anko grinned maliciously at her.

Naruko kept smiling. "We're ninja. If you're not cheating, you're not trying. So how about it? Help a fellow leaf out."

Anko's eyes closed in amusement. "No can do kiddo. But nice try."

"I thought that'd be the case. So how about this?" Naruko pulled a storage scroll out and unsealed its contents, revealing a large pile of white Styrofoam takeout boxes. "You know that errand I was just talking about? Well, this was it. Here I have one hundred orders of Dango, fresh from the grill. I practically emptied out all of the Dango stands in the village to get them all. And five cases of Sweet Bean Soup." Anko was already drooling at the smells emanating from the boxes.

"You can have it all if you give us both scrolls, right now."

"Done!" Anko didn't even have to think about it. Bribery was a perfectly valid tactic for a Shinobi to use, and these _were_ her favorite foods. She tossed Naruko an Earth scroll as she tore open the first box, humming appreciatively as she took her first bite, thinking to herself that Naruko was well on her way to Chuunin. She was the only one that had caught this opportunity. This was part of the reason why she gave them so long until the start of the test. All the others were thinking too inside the box.

"Now go find an unoccupied gate. The test will be starting soon."

The three left the tent in high spirits.

"So, I think the plan is obvious. We head straight for the tower. No breaks and no stops."

Hinata and Sasuke nodded in agreement as they came to a stop in front of an empty gate, the Chuunin posted there nodding at them, marking down their presence on his clipboard.

"The gates open in two minutes. Good luck in there." He smiled warmly at them.

"Sooo," Hinata started, looking confused. "Why was Anko-San calling you fat Naruko-Chan? You're the fittest person I know."

"Anko is aware of just how heavy I am, so she's started calling me fat. It doesn't bother me so I don't bother trying to get her to stop."

"Now that you mention it, just why are you so heavy Uzumaki?" Sasuke asked, eyeing her up and down.

"My body is a lot denser than most people's, so I'm a lot heavier than I look." Naruko was about four times heavier than a normal girl her exact size and proportions would be. She had even conditioned herself to use her chakra to strengthen the chairs she sat on instinctively just in case.

"Hn."

A minute later the gate opened and they were off like a shot, moving straight for the middle of the forest in wedge formation, Hinata on point with her Byakugan active. At the pace they were going, they would be in sight of the tower in half an hour, detouring around infestations of blood sucking leaches, giant spiders, giant tigers, and several other danger spots.

* * *

Karin shuddered as she felt her teammate slither up next to her. His chakra was so hideous and disgusting she could only think about getting away from it. But it was also so overwhelmingly powerful that she was too afraid to do anything.

"So have you found the Uchiha yet Karin-Chan?" Even his voice sent her skin crawling.

"Y-yes, I have. He seems to be heading directly for the middle of the forest. Currently he's a few miles to the north east." It wasn't difficult for her. She knew he was on Naruko's team, and she wouldn't be able to miss that chakra signature unless she tried.

"Good. Let's go." Karin didn't have a chance to respond before she was swept up and dragged at high speeds through the forest, occasional pointing out travel directions and cringing as far away from this persons chakra as she could.

As they came upon their target, Karin began silently praying that Naruko would survive this encounter. When her companion launched at the Konoha team, Karin took her chance and reduced her chakra signature to nothing and looked for a hiding spot to wait out what promised to be a horrifying show.

* * *

"Incoming 8 o'clock high!" Hinata's warning rang out just before a Kunoichi from Kusa with long black hair rammed into Naruko, carrying the both of them into a tree, dust and chunks of wood exploding outward around the impact.

The debris cleared to reveal Naruko with her upper body embedded into the tree, both arms crossed in front of her throat, barely an inch away and shaking with the strain of holding back the Kusa-nin's fist.

"Well this is a surprise." Naruko grunted out, sweat sliding down her cheek. She couldn't move her arms at all; this Kusa-nin was so strong. She'd felt that _through_ her armor! She would later be a little surprised to find that there were no dents in it. "I didn't think anyone would be able to catch up with us."

Her attacker giggled. "Expect the unexpected, Naruko-Chan." The girl's mouth opened, letting a freakishly long tongue droop out towards Naruko's face.

Naruko grunted again, reinforcing her arms with chakra and shoved her assailant's fist away. The Kusa-nin flowed with it, twisting her upper body to the right so her shoulder was facing the blonde. While Naruko's arms were still wide open, the Kusa-nin's right elbow quickly rose into her neck making her gag and shoving her back into the indentation, more splinters flying out from the trunk. But Naruko was no stranger to being hit in the throat and didn't let that stop her for long.

Naruko's right hook was intercepted by the Kusa-nin's left forearm as her right fist slammed into her solar plexus. A left uppercut was caught by the enemy's right hand, as her free fist collided with her lips. Any attack Naruko made was stopped and countered simultaneously at a speed Naruko was stunned to find that she couldn't keep up with. Each hit embedded her deeper into the tree until with a final spinning thrust kick she was sent clear through the aged and solid wood to be embedded into another tree several meters away.

Hinata and Sasuke stared down at the Kusa-Genin in stunned horror. The whole exchange had lasted mere seconds, but Naruko had been completely overpowered by this foreigner.

Naruko grunted in pain, finding herself stuck in the middle of the tree. _"That's the hardest I've _ever_ been hit in my life! Who is this girl!?"_ Each blow felt like an anvil crushing into her at the speed of one of those bullets Gato had shot her with. Blood was leaking from the corners of her mouth, bruises were already forming where she'd been hit, and she was fairly certain that her jaw and a good deal of her ribs and sternum were cracked.

"**Katon: Goukakyou no Jutsu! (Great Fireball)"** A large ball of fire enveloped the Kusa-nin and she quickly melted into a pile of baked mud. Sasuke cut off the jutsu, looking wildly for the enemy.

"Below!" Hinata shouted, thrusting both palms at the tree branch they were standing on. The branch exploded in a burst of chakra, revealing their enemy. Both Genin jumped from the falling debris to different branches as the Kusa-nin fell to the forest floor.

The tree Naruko was trapped in exploded outwards, sending the top half falling to the ground with a loud groaning crash. Naruko flipped to stand upside down on one of the falling chunks of wood and pushed off of it so she could reach the floor first.

Naruko tracked their falling enemy, jabbing a palm at where she predicted the girl would land.** "Koshi-Sen! (Photon Beam)"** A wide white laser bigger than Naruko herself lanced out of her palm, tearing a trench into the dirt as it roared at the black haired girl.

The Kusa-nin flowed around it with an inhuman flexibility, it was like she didn't even have a spine, and darted at Naruko, who met her mid charge. Just before they collided, Naruko leapt into the air, swinging an armored knee at the Kusa-nin's face, only for it to be caught and used to spin her around for momentum and slam her into the ground face first, creating a small crater. Again, the counter was too fast for her to react to.

"Who _are_ you!?" Naruko shouted in a lapse of composure, clutching at her ribs. It wouldn't take much more for them to outright break at this rate. It had been a long time since she'd been so dominated by an opponent, but even so, she'd never let up in her training, so how could she possibly be faring so poorly against a single enemy!? The Chuunin Exams should've been a total cakewalk for her, except for _maybe_ Gaara!

The girl laughed. "That would be telling Naruko-Chan." Tightening her grip on Naruko's leg, she began spinning again, building momentum and tossing her through another tree.

Just as the Kusa-nin released Naruko, a series of Fuma shuriken flew down at her from where Sasuke was perched. Hinata dropped down from her branch and was charging underneath the flying blades.

The girl turned sideways, allowing the weapons to pass harmlessly by her sides. Just Hinata reached her, the Kusa-nin shot out her tongue, wrapping it around the startled heiress' chest, pinning her arms to her sides, and reeled her into a hard punch, snapping her head to the right. Keeping Hinata there and helpless, she began raining harsh punches to the purple haired girls head and stomach.

The Kusa-nin was quickly interrupted by the return of the Fuma shuriken, spinning around her and threatening to cleave her tongue clear off. She released the battered girl and jumped back to get some distance, only to meet resistance in the form of several layers of wire as the shuriken wrapped around her several times before nailing themselves into the dirt around her.

"**Katon: Ryuka no Jutsu! (Dragon Fire)"** Sasuke bit his end of the wires, holding his hands in the tiger seal and spat a stream of flame down the wire, quickly consuming the Kusa-nin in the inferno. Sasuke kept the heat up until several moments had passed from when she'd stopped moving.

Moments after the fire dissipated and they were starting to feel like they'd won, Team 7 was horrified to hear their enemy begin cackling maniacally as she rose from the ground like some sort of zombie puppet. Her flesh was now charred and melted with weeping pustules and jagged, bloody crevices lining her exposed skin.

They watched in disturbed silence as she casually reached up to the back of her head and tore her own flesh off, like a snake sheds skin, revealing a completely unharmed man.

Naruko gasped in horrified recognition as the man chuckled cruelly. "Just as I hoped to see from the Hyuuga heiress, the Uchiha heir, and the village's secret weapon. You are all very skilled. And it seems one of you recognizes me." He said, smirking confidently at them.

"S-Class missing-nin, Orochimaru. Formerly Konoha's Snake Sannin." Naruko pushed herself back to her feet, grimacing at the pain in her sides. "Why are you here?" Her mind raced frantically, trying to come up with an escape plan. There was no possible way for the three of them to defeat someone of Orochimaru's caliber, and it was only slightly more likely that they could escape from him unless he wanted them to, especially without casualties.

"Well obviously, I have an interest in these exams. And their participants." He said, licking his lips. "I wonder Sasuke-kun, why haven't you used your Sharingan yet? Surely you must have awakened it by now."

Naruko's eyes narrowed. There weren't many ways that this could be worse. Here was one of Konoha's most infamous and powerful missing-nin, a man with a reputation for sick experiments, especially regarding bloodlines and their Kekkei Genkai, in the presence of a main branch Hyuuga and Konoha's last Uchiha, with only her there to interfere.

Naruko blurred in front of her teammates, still holding her side. "Don't answer him Uchiha! Give him _nothing_. This man is one of Konoha's worst enemies. There's no telling what he can do with whatever he learns."

"Hmm, well I'll take that to mean that you have indeed _not_ awakened the Sharingan. Poor boy." His smirk grew as Sasuke bristled in anger.

Naruko had no intention of letting these taunts continue and charged at Orochimaru with a growl while pulling out the Mastermune. "Just shut up! I won't let your poisoned words continue!" She unleashed a flurry of slashes and stabs at Orochimaru, ignoring the stabbing pains in her sides to desperately try landing even one blow.

Orochimaru was cackling again, hardly paying attention as he bent his body around the attacks. Hinata joined Naruko, running around the fight to get behind the Sannin and launching her own attacks.

"Hinata, no!" Naruko ducked under a half hearted back fist from Orochimaru. "You and Sasuke have to leave! Get to the tower and tell them what's happened!"

"You want us to leave you here alone!? You'll die!" Hinata shouted back, jumping away from a retaliatory kick.

Orochimaru took a step backwards as Sasuke plowed into the ground where he had been standing. "Get over yourself Uzumaki! If he's as powerful as you seem to think then he'd still catch us anyways after finishing you off!"

"There has to be reason for Orochimaru to have attacked _us_ out of everyone here. He wants your eyes! He _can't_ be allowed to have them!" Orochimaru's wrist swept a stab to the side as he kicked Naruko in her weakened rib cage, shattering the right side and sending her rolling across the ground, losing her grip on the Mastermune. She was barely conscious by the time she had come to a stop and blood was now freely falling from her lips, the shards of her ribs having more than likely punctured multiple organs.

It was a strange sensation, she noted, the feel of your rib cage shattering in that split second before the pain registered. Naruko slowly began the process of drawing out the Kyuubi's chakra, knowing that she'd need the enhanced regeneration to get back into the fight.

"Naruko!" Hinata redoubled the ferocity of her strikes, deliberately aiming at lethal targets. Not that it seemed to be making any difference. Nothing she or Sasuke did fared any better than Naruko's attacks. Orochimaru caught one of her thrusts and bent her left arm over her shoulder, leaving her elbow pointed at the sky and the Snake Sannin behind her.

"Oh my, I seem to have struck a nerve. You've become more reckless." He hissed in her ear before kicking her in the back, keeping his hold on her arm and popping it out of its socket with a wet sounding crack. Hinata screamed in agony as she collapsed to her knees, clutching her limp arm. The Byakugan faded from her eyes, Hinata unable to maintain the technique through the pain.

"Just die you freak!" Sasuke descended on Orochimaru, kunai pulled back in preparation to impale the back of his skull. Orochimaru unconcernedly turned towards the Uchiha and raised his right hand. **"Sen'eijashu! (Striking Shadow Snakes)"** Four snakes darted out from his sleeve and bound Sasuke, one on each arm and leg.

"I've got a present for you Sasuke-Kun. It will give you great power. I can make you unstoppable."

"The hell are you talking about!?" Sasuke shouted, struggling against the serpents that bound him. Unknown to all but Orochimaru, Sasuke's eyes had turned a fierce red with a single tomoe in each iris.

Orochimaru didn't bother answering, as he grabbed Sasuke's hair and forcefully tilted his head to the right, drawing a pained grunt from him. Licking his lips again Orochimaru grinned widely, revealing elongated incisors, and quickly bit down on the Uchiha where his neck met his shoulder. He kept his teeth in the boy for several seconds, letting his chakra and the enzymes he'd kept in his teeth flow into Sasuke.

Immediately when Orochimaru released him, Sasuke collapsed to the forest floor, clutching at his shoulder and screaming in pain. As he writhed on the ground, three black tomoe shapes bubbled into existence where he had been bitten.

Orochimaru chuckled darkly as he watched the boy squirm until unconsciousness claimed him. Then he turned to Hinata, who was backing away from him fearfully. "And then there was one." He began stalking after the girl, looking for all intents and purposes like the snakes he had such an affinity for. Eventually Hinata found herself backed into a tree with Orochimaru right in front of her.

"My, what pretty eyes you have." Orochimaru reached forward, fingers extended to pluck the Byakugan from her skull as the girl shivered, paralyzed by terror.

Just before his fingers reached her eyes, there was a loud roar followed by Naruko, cloaked in a burning red veil of chakra colliding with Orochimaru, carrying the both of them away from the Hyuuga.

Naruko pulled back her now clawed right hand and slashed out at Orochimaru's stomach, attempting to take advantage of his momentary surprise and gut the missing-nin. Unfortunately for her, as her hand tore out his stomach and intestines, it all turned into mud in her hands. The man rose out of the ground several meters away from her, chuckling once again.

"You're more durable then I thought Naruko-Chan. I thought for sure that you would be unconscious until I'd finished with your friends."

"**What did you do to Sasuke!?" **She snarled out, three tails of chakra waving furiously behind her.

"I simply gave him a farewell present. Sasuke-Kun will seek me out. He will seek me for power that only I can give him. Do take care of him for me Naruko-Chan. It was fun seeing your moves." Orochimaru quickly faded back into the ground as Naruko watched in impotent frustration. It went against everything that Root stood for, letting someone like Orochimaru get away, and without even a scratch on him no less, but she was very well aware of the fact that even with her three tailed form she didn't stand much of a chance against him.

Naruko returned to Hinata, who had fallen to the ground, still shaking and holding her dislocated arm.

"**Hinata, are you ok?"** She kept the chakra shroud up so the Kyuubi's chakra could finish mending her bones. Nothing was broken anymore, but they were still more fragile than she was comfortable with. It had also been incredibly painful feeling that chakra pulling the shards of her ribcage from her organs, so she wanted to make sure that she didn't have to feel that again anytime soon, or ever again.

"**Hinata!" **She called out more loudly, finally getting the girls attention.

"N-Naruko-Chan." Hinata's eyes focused on her friend before they went wide and her head swiveled trying to find the enemy. "Where is he!?" She yelled in fear.

"**Gone. I guess he got what he wanted, cause he didn't want to stick around and deal with me when I'm like this. We should get going. We can still reach the tower before dark and get your arm looked at."** If they had another choice, Naruko didn't want to try resetting Hinata's arm without a medic present. They weren't far from the tower, maybe twenty minutes in their condition.

Orochimaru had beaten the ever loving shit out of all of them in less than half an hour, and it showed on all of them. Naruko had blood on her face and staining her clothes, Hinata had several large bruises blossoming on her face, and Sasuke was unconscious with that weird hickey on his neck.

"What do you think that is anyways?" Hinata asked, pointing at the mark.

"**I think that's Orochimaru's curse seal. We don't know a lot about it; just that it ties into the bearer's chakra network and can cause extreme pain and temporary amnesia. But now that you've pointed it out, there are some seals I want to place on him just in case." **Naruko let the chakra shroud fade. She would've liked to leave it going for a bit longer, but she didn't want to do any Fuinjutsu with demonic chakra at the moment. She'd never done it before, and didn't exactly want to start experimenting at the moment.

"Just sit tight, okay Hina-Chan? This won't take long, although you may want to look away."

Hinata looked confused. "Why?"

"Because at some point I'm going to be pulling his pants and underwear down."

"What!?" Hinata blushed madly.

"Orochimaru said that Sasuke would seek him out. Well, I'm going to make sure that if Sasuke _does_ then he can't revive the Uchiha with that madman." Naruko pulled out her sealing kit, grabbing an ink well and a brush. Hinata quickly clenched her eyes shut, still blushing madly and waited for Naruko to finish and tell her it was safe to look again.

First things first. Naruko examined the mark on Sasuke's neck, channeling chakra to her eyes to strengthen her sight.

"_Well whatever it is, it isn't done forming yet. But I don't think it's really a _seal_. Just those three shapes does not create a seal. Since it's not done forming I can't investigate it very well. Anything I do to it could make things worse."_ Leaving the mark alone for now, Naruko got to work on her insurance policy so Orochimaru didn't get the Sharingan even if Sasuke defected.

First, she pulled off Sasuke's headband, and drew an explosive seal on his forehead. This would destroy his eyes and brain if activated, keeping them out of Orochimaru's hands. After finishing, the ink faded, and would only reveal itself once activated by her own chakra. Then she pulled down his pants and boxers, ignoring the boys nudity, and drew another explosive seal on his groin, ensuring the destruction of his reproductive organs should she ever have to activate it. The last seal she put on him was a paralysis seal between his shoulder blades. This would be her first choice to use, but if circumstances prevented it she could still use the first two.

Naruko dropped the brush on the ground and dropped an explosive tag on it. There was _no_ way she was using it ever again after where it had just been. Good thing she carried plenty of spares.

"Okay Hina-Chan, you can look again."

Hinata hesitantly cracked open one eye, making sure it was safe before opening both of them with a breath of relief.

Naruko giggled. "Oh don't play the prude with me, little miss I-can-see-through-anything-even-clothes." She teased.

Hinata's blush returned, brighter than ever. "N-N-N-Naruko-Chan!" Her good arm flailed up and down at her side. "I-I-I do not use the Byakugan for something like that! T-That would be e-entirely irr-responsible!" Her stuttering had returned with a vengeance.

Naruko gaped in astonishment, eyes wide open. "Oh my god you _do_ do that! You've always been a terrible liar Hina-Chan. I was just playing around, but you _do_! Who have you checked out?"

"I don't!" Hinata's face was practically glowing, with steam pouring from her ears.

The arrival of a familiar redhead interrupted Naruko's pestering. Karin, dropping down from the branches above, looking incredibly nervous. Seeing her headband reminded Naruko that Orochimaru had been in disguised as a Kusa-nin, making Naruko more than a little bit suspicious.

"Karin…What are you doing here?" She asked her, eyeing the redhead carefully and stepping forward, ready to intercept her if she attacked.

"I-I need your help." Karin visibly gulped. "You have no idea how happy I am that you're still alive. O-Orochimaru made me help him find you. I didn't want to, but he's so powerful I didn't know what else I could do."

"Help him find us? How?" Naruko's suspicions died, seeing the distress on the girls features. It would take an actress of the highest quality to display those emotions.

"I'm very good at sensing and identifying chakra signatures. So I just pointed him in the right direction and he took off. He's already a few miles away from us, so I don't think we need to worry about him right now. If Konoha will protect me, then I'll tell them everything I can. I hate that man! His chakra is disgusting, ugly, and terrifying! I'll go mad if I have to stay with him!" Tears gathered in Karin's eyes as she started going hysterical with desperation.

Before Karin knew it, she was wrapped up in Naruko's arms, one arm rubbing up and down her back and the taller girl's chakra enveloping her in a bubble of warmth and safety, making another light blush bloom on Karin's face. "It's alright now Karin-Chan. I might not be strong enough right now, but I'll do everything I can to protect you. I promise." This girl was part of her family after all.

Karin slumped in Naruko's embrace, relief flooding through her. She brought her own arms around Naruko, burying her face in the blonde's collar. Karin couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this comfortable or safe. And Naruko was so warm too. Karin felt like she was about to fall asleep standing up.

"Ahem!" Hinata cleared her throat, still blushing from Naruko's earlier prodding.

"Oh, right!" Naruko pulled away with an embarrassed laugh. "Karin-Chan, this is Hinata-Chan, Hina-Chan, Karin-Chan. Karin's got Uzumaki blood in her veins. Probably my distant cousin or something. And I think she'll be joining the village soon." She looked at the redhead questioningly, getting a grin and a nod.

"I'd really like that." Karin had just been dragged along by Orochimaru wherever he wanted her at the moment. She didn't belong to Kusa, despite the headband that she wore. Orochimaru had just killed a Kusa Genin team and took their place, with him, Karin, and one of his bodyguards filling the role of the Genin.

"Anyways!" Naruko grabbed Sasuke, tossing him over her shoulder like a bag of rice. "Let's go! I want to be in that tower before dark."

"Ah, actually, do you need help with that Hinata-Chan? I have medic training." Karin offered the purple haired girl before they moved.

Hinata blinked. "Really? Well, yes, that'd be nice. Thank you Karin-Chan."

"Just hold still for a moment please." Karin ran through some hand seals before her hands began glowing green. "Just a dislocated shoulder. I'll numb the nerves around it and then we can pop it back into place alright?"

Hinata nodded, and quickly felt her shoulder go numb. "Brace yourself, and I'll pull on three okay?" Hinata nodded again, smiling at her. "One…Two…Three!" With a strong, quick pull, Hinata's arm snapped back into its socket, Hinata cringing at the noise, very grateful that she couldn't feel the pain. Karin's hands were quickly back at the shoulder joint, the medical chakra soothing and repairing the torn muscle, cartilage and ligaments.

"That should do it. The numbness should fade over the next half hour."

"Thank you Karin-Chan. We were just gonna wait until we got to the tower to get my arm fixed, but that was amazing. I didn't even feel a thing." Hinata gingerly rotated her arm, finding the movement surprisingly smooth, although that may just been the numbness talking. "You're very skilled."

Karin grinned again, puffing up in pleasure. "I may not be that much of a front line fighter right now, but I'm the best support you'll ever find."

She certainly had potential. Uzumaki after all are long lived people with potent chakra, and Karin was apparently talented enough that she had the extreme chakra control necessary, even with the reserves of an Uzumaki, to perform high level medical jutsu.

The Kunoichi took to the trees once again, with Hinata on point, Byakugan active and Naruko destroying her old sealing brush as they left. Their trip to the tower went uninterrupted until they reached the tree line circling the tower at about a hundred yards around.

Karin and Hinata both called out for the group to stop at the same time, crouching down on their branches.

"What's wrong?" Naruko questioned them, hefting Sasuke into a better grip.

"The Oto team is lying in wait a little bit over there." Karin pointed at the tree line in front of and to their right.

"They probably want to catch any team that's coming to the tower in an ambush and take their scrolls for themselves." Hinata said. "What do you wanna do?" She asked Naruko.

Naruko shrugged carelessly. "Let's just go to the tower. If they're stupid enough to attack us after what I did to them in the first exam then I'll just kick their asses a second time."

"Actually," Karin interjected, "Oto belongs to Orochimaru. He's their leader. I don't know if you want to take them out now or capture them or whatever, but yea, Orochimaru is in charge of Oto."

Naruko stared at her through her squinted eyes. "Anything you can tell me about this team specifically?"

Karin nodded, adjusting her glasses. "Their leader is the boy who looks like a mummy, Kinuta Dosu. That gauntlet he wears is called a Melody Arm and enables the wielder to target vulnerable areas like the inner ear with the sound waves created by the holes decorating it, kinda like a wind instrument. The other boy is Abumi Zaku. Through Orochimaru's experimentations and surgeries, he's had pipes implanted in his arms and hands, letting him shoot strong blasts of wind from his palms. The girl of their group is Tsuchi Kin, she's a Genjutsu specialist with an emphasis on auditory triggers, but there isn't anything special about her abilities."

Naruko dropped Sasuke onto the branch she'd been crouching on, and stood up.

"I see. Thanks for the intel Karin-Chan. You two stay here with Uchiha, I'll go out there and take care of those Oto punks, and then we can finally finish this test." Naruko created a pair of shadow clones and transformed them into exhausted and injured looking versions of her teammates. She also transformed herself so she looked a lot more beat up than she was, bruises, and cuts littering her body.

Naruko and her clones quickly jumped out into the clearing, making their way towards the tower with exaggerated fatigue. It didn't take long for the three Oto-nin to jump down from their hiding spot, landing in front of Naruko.

"Well well, look what we have here. It's the bitch who attacked us in the first exam." Zaku said with a vicious smirk. "And it looks like someone really put you through the ringer. Since you're here, you must have both scrolls. Thanks for bringing them to us so quickly, we appreciate it." He sneered at her.

"We'll be praised for certain once we enter the tower. We'll beat the previous record by almost five hours, proving Otogakure's might." The boy she now recognized as Dosu said, pulling back the sleeve on his right arm, revealing his gauntlet.

Naruko scoffed, dismissing her clones and her transformation, leaving just the blood on her shirt as any evidence of a fight. "If you weaklings are trying to intimidate me, you're failing miserably. I was actually hoping I'd run into you here, cause now I get to take proper vengeance for the audacity of attacking a Konoha Shinobi, and in our very own village no less." The three were looking decidedly less confident at seeing her unscathed. The blood on her shirt could belong to someone else for all they knew, and judging from appearances, it probably did.

Naruko punched her right hand into her left, cracking her knuckles while tilting her head side to side, cracking her neck. "So! Which of you punks wants to try me first?" She flexed her chakra sending a burst of air away from her, ruffling the grass around her and clothes of the Oto team. If Naruko were entirely honest, she'd tell you that she was looking forward to showing off a bit after the one sided beating Team 7 had just endured.

Dosu was the first to make a move, darting forward and swinging his melody arm. He had just started to swing it forward when Naruko's left fist collided into his gauntlet, shattering it and leaving a deep bruise on his forearm.

"Oh no! What're you gonna do without your fancy gauntlet Mr. Mummy?" Before Dosu could recover from the sudden loss of his primary weapon, Naruko jumped into a spin kick, once again slamming her armored shin into his nose, breaking it once again and undoing any healing it had managed to do. Dosu found himself flying backwards between his teammates and sliding along the grass several meters.

"You goddamn bitch! We're gonna kill you, right here and right now!" The boy she had impaled with the kunai earlier, Zaku, shouted out while rolling through some hand seals. **"Zankuuha! (Decapitating Air Waves)"** He pointed both of his palms at her, revealing the pipes Karin had told her about. Twin blasts of highly pressurized air launched out of them, roared towards her and tearing chunks of rock and dirt from the ground.

Naruko blurred to the side, stopping beside Zaku's still extended arms. Grabbing his left wrist with her left hand, she punched his elbow with her free arm, breaking the joint. Zaku's jutsu cut off and Naruko released his arm, punching him in the chest, sending him stumbling backwards, clutching at his left arm.

Taking advantage of his vulnerability, Naruko's left leg shot out between his legs, colliding with the side of his left knee, then swung back to his right knee, breaking both and sending his thighs falling below the destroyed remains of his joints in an display that was painful to even look at as he screamed in agony.

Naruko didn't leave him suffering the pain for long, continuing with her momentum and jumping into another spin kick with the same leg, the heel of her left foot catching him in the jaw, sending his head spinning for a full turn, coming to a stop facing Naruko. Zaku's body quickly crumpled to the ground in a pile of broken limbs, like a puppet with its strings cut.

Just when Naruko turned to face her remaining enemies, Kin was in front of her, swinging her right leg into a kick at Naruko's chest.

Naruko let the girls leg slam into her just below her breasts, and inwardly laughed at Kin's reaction. The kick didn't even hurt her, leaving Naruko standing like a steel pillar.

The girl stumbled back a bit, bent over a bit and grabbing at her shin. "What the heck are you made of!?" She growled out, grimacing in pain.

Naruko's right arm darted out, snagging the girls collar. "Win, bitch. I'm made of win." Naruko said, conveniently ignoring the fact that not too long ago she had just been savagely beaten by Orochimaru. Naruko jerked Kin forward, pulling her into a hard clothesline with the same arm, flipping the girl to land face first in the dirt a few feet behind Naruko.

By now, Dosu had recovered and was attacking Naruko again, despite the loss of his Melody Arm. With Zaku dead there was no way for them to advance to the next round. The only way to redeem this failure would be to at least kill the person responsible for it.

Naruko had little trouble parrying his blows. "Just like I thought. You newbies are all talk, just like your village I'm sure. Oh well, the five greats will have you upstarts stamped out in no time." Dosu had become very dependent on that gauntlet, Naruko noted. His Taijutsu was very sloppy, and judging from his fighting style, he didn't have anything else to fall back on. Probably because he hadn't come across many opponents he needed to land a clean hit on. Naruko kicked Dosu away, as she heard Kin getting back to her feet.

She didn't bother to turn around, letting Kin tackle her from behind, once again having no trouble remaining in place. Kin, noting her failure to bring Naruko to the ground, shifted her strategy to an attempted bear hug, pinning Naruko's arms down.

"Dosu! Hurry up and take her out!" She screamed desperately.

Rolling her eyes, Naruko grabbed Kin's wrists and easily lifted them up and away. Naruko held her there, pinned to her back, hooked her left foot back around Kin's left ankle, and kicked forward while jumping in the air, leaving Kin falling backwards several feet above the ground with Naruko right in front of her. A second later she hit the ground with over four hundred pounds of Naruko slamming down on her chest, snapping a few ribs and making Kin gag and cough out blood. Naruko released Kin's arms and rolled backwards, grabbing Kin's head as she did so. With a quick jerk and twist she broke Kin's neck.

Naruko was still kneeling when Dosu punched at her again. Naruko reveled in the feeling of being able to react to enemy attacks, drawing her wakizashi and with a quick rising slash, severed Dosu's right arm above the elbow, then brought the hilt down on his head, colliding just above his left temple and knocking him out.

Naruko swiped her sword, flicking the blood off of her blade and onto Dosu's unconscious form, before sheathing the blade. She waved over Hinata and Karin, the pair quickly hopping out of their hiding place, supporting Sasuke's body between them, though Karin looked uncomfortable, sending the Uchiha looks of mild trepidation and disgust.

Naruko crouched down next to Dosu and stripped him of his equipment, transferring their Earth scroll to Zaku's pouch. She also tore his pants off at the knees, removed one of his sandals, and shredded some of his bandages, splashing some of his blood over it all and making a tourniquet for his arm.

Taking the remaining rags, Naruko wrapped Dosu's severed arm as well as most of the pieces to his gauntlet in them and created two more Shadow Clones, who picked up the corpses of the two dead Oto-nin, grabbed the wrapped up severed arm, and took off back into the forest.

"Alright then. Let's get in that tower finally and get some rest." Naruko said cheerfully, smiling at the two girls who looked a little green.

"That was… that was pretty gruesome Naruko-Chan." Karin swallowed, looking at the blood stains, Hinata nodding in agreement.

Naruko might have overdone it with Zaku, but the point was that she didn't want to leave a lot of evidence that a person had been the one to kill Zaku and Kin. Trauma like she had inflicted on them could easily have been done by the wildlife of the forest. Not like if she'd used blades or Jutsu to kill them.

"It was necessary. I'm going to dump the bodies, Dosu's arm, and their scroll in the forest so it looks like a pack of animals got them, but Dosu is going to be in Konoha's custody for interrogation about Oto and Orochimaru. This way Konoha can point to the wildlife of the Forest of Death if and when Oto or some other village starts questioning the whereabouts of the Oto team and whether something underhanded went on."

Naruko dropped some explosive notes on the bloodstains to destroy the evidence and walked up to the tower doors, Dosu slung over her shoulder, and opened them for her companions, following after them and igniting the bombs just as the door was closing.

* * *

Naruko's clones made it a couple of miles from the tower before coming upon a pack of giant tigers. The two looked at each other and nodded, hopping down a few meters away from the beasts, who looked at them and snarled hostilely, slowly advancing on the blondes.

The clones quickly dropped their cargo, bowed to the tigers and dismissed themselves. The tigers didn't wait long to tear into the free meal.

* * *

**End Chapter!**

***Looks at fight with Oto team and their fate* 0_0'….Yup, I'm changing the rating to 'M'. That got really gruesome. I knew at least some of them were going to die, but I didn't know it'd be that brutal…and I hadn't really predicted the feeding them to the giant tigers bit either.**

**Please review and let me know how I did. All feedback, constructive criticism and questions welcome!**


	20. Preliminary Matches

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Rurouni Kenshin or Chrono Cross. I am writing this purely to see reader reaction and for fun. I make no financial profit doing this.

**Warning – Long(ish) authors note at the end.**

Chapter 20 – Preliminary Matches

"If you do not possess Heaven, gain knowledge and be prepared. If you do not possess Earth, run through the fields and seek strength. If you have both Heaven and Earth, dangerous paths turn into safe ones." Karin adjusted her glasses as they all stared up at a large plaque in the room they found themselves in. "Well that was annoyingly unnecessary. Did they have to add all that proverb junk? They could have just said, 'Open your scrolls for the next step of the test.' Or something equally as simple."

"Oh, I don't know, I liked it. It was pretty, like poetry." Hinata said from where she was kneeling over Sasuke and Dosu.

"Ugh, I'm with Karin-Chan. I hate poetry, and all that flower babble." Naruko held back a shudder at the memory of all the poems Danzo made her analyze as part of her studies. He kept telling her that it was good practice for looking for hidden messages, but it was still boring as all hell. Naruko tugged their scrolls from her jacket, broke the wax seals and tossed them on the floor in front of the Genin as a summoning array began constructing itself.

Moments later Kakashi appeared in a burst of smoke, hovering over the now blank pair of scrolls. Unfortunately, he had appeared leaning back in mid-air as if lounging on a couch, his book held in front of his face. This of course resulted in him tumbling down on his back, where he just lay for a few moments unmoving, his book hovering over his face.

The conscious Genin blinked and stared at him, wondering if he was alright. He was being awfully quiet wasn't he? Wasn't he supposed to be delivering their next set of instructions now?

"One hour, seventeen minutes, and thirty three seconds." He gently closed his book and laid it on his chest, now staring at the ceiling. "You beat the previous record by four hours, forty six minutes, and twelve seconds." Kakashi slowly stood up, tucking his book into his equipment pouch. His eye wandered over the Genin present, not reacting in the slightest to the presence of Karin or Dosu, nor Sasuke's state of unconsciousness.

"So how'd you do it?" He asked curiously, tilting his head to the side.

"I bribed Anko with a bunch of dango and sweet bean soup so she'd give us both scrolls at the start. Then we made our way straight here, using Hina-Chan's Byakugan to avoid danger areas. Unfortunately, things didn't go so smoothly. Orochimaru is here, and he's infiltrated the Chuunin Exams. He found us, beat the ever loving shit out of us, bit the Uchiha, giving him a Cursed Seal, and went on his merry way. He threatened Karin-Chan," Naruko gestured to the red head beside her. "Into helping him find us with her sensory abilities. She's agreed to tell us everything she knows about him and his current plans if Konoha promises her protection and asylum. Also, she happens to have Uzumaki blood in her veins. And just before we entered the tower, we encountered the Oto Team, Oto is under Orochimaru's control by the way, and I captured their team leader for interrogation, killed the other two, and planted enough evidence in the forest so that Konoha can point to the giant tigers as the culprits for their deaths." Naruko reported, all with her usual cheer and smile.

Kakashi eye smiled back. "Cool."

* * *

Naruko and Hinata were quickly shown to the room they would stay in until the test was over, either through expiration of the five day's allotted or nine teams completing their objectives. It was small, but infinitely more comfortable than camping in the perilous Forest of Death would be, with three warm beds and their own connected bathroom.

Sasuke had been taken by Kakashi to a secure room where they could monitor him and his new Cursed Seal. There would be a full team of ANBU posted to watch him at all times, with at least one member versed in sealing techniques. It was unknown at the moment whether he would survive let alone be able to compete in the rest of the Chuunin Exams.

Karin and Dosu had been picked up by Ibiki and a squad of his T&I operatives and taken to their headquarters, the two being carried there in separate, carefully sealed containers to avoid prying eyes. Not even the Byakugan would be able to penetrate the wooden walls. It wasn't the most comfortable experience for Karin, but she was more than willing to tolerate the temporary discomfort in the hopes of ridding herself of Orochimaru.

After familiarizing themselves with their quarters for the time being, Naruko and Hinata made their way to the Mess Hall for lunch, after which they'd go find the Infirmary to get checked out, just in case. Personally, Naruko thought it'd be a waste of time, but Hinata was insisting.

The two Konoha-Nin were fairly surprised to find the Suna Siblings already in the Mess Hall. They didn't fail to notice their arrival either.

"Well well, look who it is." Kankuro said haughtily. "Seems like we beat you; we finished that test in only an hour and thirty seven minutes. Have a tough time out there in the forest? I thought you Konoha-nin were good in that environment." He looked pointedly at the blood on Naruko's chest. "And where's your teammate? Did he get hurt in the big scary forest?" He asked them patronizingly.

He seemed to be enjoying his moment of triumph over them. However, Naruko was more than happy to burst his bubble.

"I suppose it does _seem _like you beat us here. However, you did not. My team got here in one hour and seventeen minutes." Naruko and Hinata stopped next to their table. "And this isn't my blood." Well, it was, but they didn't know that. "I went a little overboard in the forest. The poor team that found us is no more. I kept on thinking about how _angry _these foreign teams insist on making me, and I couldn't help it." Naruko's eyes flashed red. "It's good to know that I haven't missed out on my chance of taking my pound of flesh out of your hides."

Kankuro and Temari paled a little while Gaara just glared at her. "Enjoy your food. I'm sure it hasn't been poisoned or anything." Naruko walked off to get her own food, Hinata following along, scolding her for her hostility.

The team from Suna eyed their food suspiciously before dumping what was left of it. Naruko grinned to herself. The food hadn't been tampered with at all, but again, they didn't know that. Or if it had been tampered with, Naruko had nothing to do with it.

* * *

Kakashi stared through the two way mirror into the room where Sasuke had been strapped to a cot. Right now they were just waiting to see if the young Uchiha would survive the seal's application. He didn't want to risk the **Fuja Hoin (Evil Sealing Method) **while the Curse Seal was in such a volatile stage. They had no idea what might happen if they added another element to its imprinting process. He would just have to hope that Sasuke survived and seal up Orochimaru's seal when the process was complete. Perhaps if Jiraiya, Konoha's foremost Fuinjutsu expert were here things would be different. As it was, those keeping watch over the Uchiha were also taking as detailed a notes as they could on the seals formation process, as well as recording it from multiple angles with some camera's they set up.

Nodding to the ANBU team, Kakashi left the room. He would need to get Naruko's and Hinata's reports and then go see the Hokage about what had happened. Hopefully they would be able to get some good intel from that Karin girl and the Oto boy. Orochimaru's presence could only be bad for the village, and the more they knew the better.

* * *

In the early hours of the next morning, the ANBU team keeping watch, along with Kakashi who had elected to join their surveillance, were treated to the uncomfortable sight of an insidious, dark purple chakra emanating from Sasuke. The five Shinobi quickly entered the room when the Uchiha easily broke out of the bonds holding him down and stood up from the cot.

Sasuke now had black flame like markings spread across the left side of his face and body, and his Sharingan was now active, one tomoe in each eye. He stood there grinning madly at his hands, clenching and unclenching them.

"This…This is amazing! I've never felt so powerful in my life! With this, I'll surely be able to kill Itachi and avenge my clan!" He caught sight of himself in the two way mirror, easily spotting his new eyes. "And my Sharingan has finally awakened!"

"Sasuke!" Kakashi's voice was hard as he stared at him. The ANBU team spread out through the room, ready to take Sasuke down at a moment's notice. "This power you feel, it's toxic to your mind and body. Orochimaru is a traitor to Konoha and cannot be trusted. Whatever he did to you can only be bad. For you and everyone else."

Sasuke's mad grin remained in place, and he made no reply. The stare down continued for a few long moments before the adrenalin fueling Sasuke faded. The black flame markings receded from Sasuke's skin, being pulled back into the Cursed Seal at his neck. As soon as the markings had completely vanished into the seal, Sasuke collapsed to his knee's gasping for air.

"W-What just happened?" He gasped out. "I feel so weak." His entire body was trembling as he fell forwards, catching himself before his face smacked into the floor. "Kakashi-Sensei, what happened to me?" He looked up at his teacher, now kneeling beside him. The ANBU team relaxed marginally, taking a step back from the two.

"That was Orochimaru's Cursed Seal. It forcefully draws out and enhances your chakra to incredibly high levels, but the strain of it all can cause great damage to your mind and body, like a drug. We're going to seal it away immediately. It's too dangerous to leave alone."

"What!? You can't! I need that power to kill Itachi!"

"This is not a game Sasuke! I am not giving you a choice. Orochimaru's seal _will_ be dealt with. If you ever use that power, Konoha will do everything it can to take you down." Kakashi's eye and voice were hard as he glared at the black haired Genin. Sasuke said nothing, glaring indignantly at the Copy Ninja, knowing he wouldn't stand a chance against the Jounin if he resisted.

* * *

Sasuke joined Hinata and Naruko in their assigned quarters later that evening, in a worse mood then either girl had ever seen him in. They had a maximum of four days to kill now and went about preparing themselves for the next challenge as best they could. So far they had been tested on information gathering and field operations, so the next was probably fighting capability.

Hinata practiced her Juken forms, making sure that full range of movement had been restored to her recently dislocated arm, Sasuke would go off on his own to practice his Jutsu and the use of his Sharingan, and Naruko had pulled out her sealing supplies and was working on refining that barrier seal she'd first created back in Wave. She knew exactly what she wanted to do with it, and now that she had the time, she could start modifying it for her purposes.

Luckily for her, there wasn't much more that needed to be done to it. It took a bit of time recreating the seal, the original scroll it had been on having incinerated itself due to the massive flow of chakra Naruko pushed through it, but it wasn't difficult. From there she added some size controlling features and an overall increase in strength and durability to it, finding several areas where another line, swirl, shape or dot would increase the efficiency and stability of the barrier.

Judging it finished, and getting approval from Mune, Naruko made preparations for inscribing them onto her Tekko so she'd be able to project those protective barriers from both arms at a moment's notice. It took the rest of the allotted time for the second test to finish applying them, having to carefully paint her blood in very specific and much smaller lines on the gauntlets. Ink could do the job, but it was a much weaker medium. Using blood as your Fuinjutsu medium allowed for much more powerful seal creation, but limited the uses of those seals, as only the owner of the blood or a close blood relation would be able to safely use it. Once she had finished painting the seals it took several hours for the blood to fully absorb into the metal, sinking below the surface and imprinting into the armor. Painting, even chiseling them onto the surface would quickly prove inadequate due to the regular wear and tear armor experienced in battle. The arrays would be scratched and chipped at until it no longer functioned, and that was only if the wearer was lucky enough that the damaged arrays didn't blow them up, so the seals had to be placed as deep as possible into the metal. Luckily for Naruko, her armor was made of some of the most chakra receptive metals in the world, so the process was relatively quick. They would be ready just in time for the end to the Anko's test.

* * *

In the end, six teams made it to the tower with their objectives achieved. The Sand Siblings from Suna, three of Konoha's rookie teams, 7, 8, and 10, Team Gai, and Yakushi Kabuto's team.

"Alright brats, congratulations for making it this far. As of right now, every Genin standing among you has passed the second stage of the Chuunin Exams." Anko stood in front of the Genin, a statue of a giant pair of hands in the Ram hand seal behind her. They were all in a large room with a balcony around three quarters of the room where the Jounin Sensei of the present teams and the Hokage were watching from.

"So, too bad for you all, I now have to hand you over to the next proctor. I know, I know, you want me to keep being your proctor, but frankly, I have better things to do than watch the lot of you flail around desperately, no matter how fun that may be." Anko finished with a wide grin.

One of the Konoha-nin hopped down from the balcony to land next to Anko. "Thank you Anko, I'll take it from here." He wore the standard Konoha uniform, with his Hitai-ate in the form of a bandanna that covered his scalp, with tufts of brown hair poking out from under it.

"Have fun Hayate, some of them are fresh from the forest." Anko jumped up to balcony, next to the Hokage.

The man cleared his throat, looking at the gathered Genin. "My name is Gekkou Hayate, and I will be the proctor for the third and final stage of the Chuunin Exam. However, before we get to the third exam, we will be conducting some preliminary matches. There are eighteen of you who have gotten this far, but that's too many to advance to the final stage, which will be a tournament, showcasing your skills to potential clients. These clients' time is extremely valuable to them, so we cannot afford to waste it with too many matches."

This particular Chuunin Exam might be a complete shut out in Konoha's favor, though that usually didn't go over too well with the clients when the shutout was for the particular village hosting the exams. If there wasn't even a single foreign shinobi in the upcoming tournament there would be no way to stop potential clients and other villages from spreading rumors of Konoha underhandedness, regardless of their validity.

"From this point on, you will all be scored and assessed individually. Your performance will not directly affect your teammates' chances of passing. If anyone would like to withdraw at this point, please speak up." Hayate said, taking a clipboard from a nearby Chuunin.

Naruko turned her head to look at the Genin around her, curious if anyone would take the offer. Everyone from Konoha on teams 7, 8, and Gai would remain as well as the Suna team. They had reached the Tower with plenty of time to recover from the forest. Team 10 and Kabuto's team were the only candidates that might drop out, seeing as how they'd only just managed to get into the tower a few hours ago, and were looking somewhat worse for wear.

Shikamaru and Choji sweat a little bit under her scrutiny, knowing that Naruko would take this as further proof and therefore reason to kick their asses for slacking off in their training.

Kabuto raised his hand. "I'd like to forfeit. I'm too fatigued from surviving the forest." He announced. He had a few bandages visible on his face and arms, all with light blood stains and there were multiple scrapes along his face.

Hayate marked him off on his clipboard. "Anyone else?" Several moments passed as Kabuto was escorted away by a Medic-nin. No one else took the offer.

"Alright then. The scoreboard above us will determine the matches. This will be a series of eight one on one matches with the victors advancing to the tournament in one months time. You win if your opponent is rendered unconscious, surrenders, is unable to continue fighting, dead, or I judge the match to be over in your favor. Because there are now an odd number of participants, one of you will advance without having to fight at all." As Hayate finished, the scoreboard began flickering through names rapidly, coming to a stop on Uchiha Sasuke and Rock Lee.

"Yes! I get to fight first and show everyone the strength of my youth!" Lee's eyes were alight with excitement as everyone whose name hadn't been selected moved up to the balconies, Naruko and Tenten patting him on the shoulders with encouraging smiles and well wishes.

* * *

Sasuke smirked to himself as he contemplated the victory that awaited him. He was certain that he'd have been able to defeat this boy even before he had unlocked the Sharingan, and now that he had it, this fight would be a joke. Sasuke couldn't wait to use on Naruko and finally defeat his rival and prove he was the stronger Shinobi.

"Fighters at the ready!" Hayate glanced at both as they settled into their fighting stances, arm raised over his head. Determining that they were prepared, he chopped his hand down between the fighters, and shouted "Begin!"

"I am happy that I'm able to prove myself against the genius Uchiha clan."

"Heh, you can be as happy as you want, it makes no difference. I'll be ending this fight quickly!" Sasuke charged Lee, opening up with a right hook. Lee ducked under the attack, seeming to vanish to Sasuke's eyes, and retaliated with a rising roundhouse kick, slamming straight through a hastily formed guard and into his left cheek. Lee's kick was enough to send the Uchiha flying backwards to land on his back and roll several feet.

"_What was that? It went straight through my guard. Was it Genjutsu? Only Uzumaki, that Haku bitch and the man in the forest have been able to hit me like that." _Sasuke thought to himself, wiping at his now split lip, staining his arm warmer. _"Well, whatever it is, I'll see through it with this. Sharingan!"_ Channeling his chakra to his eyes, his irises turned red with a tomoe spinning slowly around his pupil.

Up in the stands, the Genin and some of the Jounin gasped in surprise at seeing the awakened Sharingan. Naruko's eyes narrowed at this revelation. If the Uchiha had awakened his bloodline, then she'd have to be extra careful about what she did around him. It would be beyond annoying to have that arrogant bastard poaching her techniques.

"That must be the fabled Sharingan I have heard so much about. I was under the impression that you had not awakened it yet." Lee said, maintaining his Goken stance.

"I have only recently awakened the power of the Uchiha clan. You might as well just surrender now, cause there's no way you'll be able to beat me now that I have it."

"You know nothing of me Sasuke-San. Do not think that you will be able to win simply because you have the Sharingan."

Sasuke charged again, with a confident smirk. Up in the stands Naruko shook her head and rolled her eyes. He was doing the _exact_ same thing he just did. Even with the Sharingan, Lee was just too far above Sasuke for it to matter.

This time though, Sasuke didn't even get to launch his attack before Lee landed a kick just under his jaw, having ducked down and braced himself on the floor for better lifting force. Sasuke was sent into a high arc, sailing above even the balconies.

Lee quickly loosened the bandages wrapped around his arms, leaving a long tail flapping in the air, and jumped up, floating along just under Sasuke at the same speed and trajectory.

"_The __**Kage Buyo (Leaf Shadow Dance)**__"_ Naruko mused to herself, having seen Lee use it a number of times by now. And along with that move, Lee liked to use it as a set up for one of his stronger attacks.

With a practiced flick of the arms, Lee wrapped Sasuke in the loose bandages, binding his arms to his sides, and then grabbed the Uchiha in a bear hug, tilting them so they were falling head first towards the ground and adding a high speed spin to the fall, turning them into a giant human drill bit.

"**Omote Renge! (Front Lotus)"** Just before the pair impacted the stone floor, Lee released his opponent and jumped away, landing several feet from where Sasuke was now planted in the stone floor all the way to his waist, his legs sticking up in the air for a moment before falling limp.

Hayate waited a few more moments to make sure Sasuke was finished before calling the match. "Winner, Rock Lee!" The medics quickly pried Sasuke from the floor and checked him over, announcing that he was alive, but unconscious. All in all, it took Lee less than five minutes to utterly destroy Sasuke, and all of the Konoha rookies other than Naruko were looking a little shocked at that. Their class's runner up for Rookie of the year had just been beaten as if he were nothing by this previously unknown, green clad Genin.

* * *

"Well that was fast." Naruko commentated as Lee came back up to stand next to her, Hinata and Tenten.

"I wanted to prove that hard work could overcome natural talent, so I did not hold back." Lee clenched his fist in front of him as his eyes lit with his passion, Naruko mirroring his actions, with a similar fire in her eyes.

"With this, people will know that effort surpasses talent!" They exclaimed at the same time, grinning widely.

Everyone around them was looking at them oddly. Tenten gave them a resigned, but very amused smile, as Gai covered his eyes with a forearm, attempting to stem the tide of tears inspired by the display of camaraderie. On their other side, Hinata was looking very confused, and Kakashi was staring in wide eyed horror.

"The flames of your youth are a blaze of beauty! What wonderful friends!"

"Dear god! How long has my student been infected by Gai!?"

"Infected by Gai-Sensei? Pshh, more like Lee and Naruko-Chan infected each other long before they even met Gai-Sensei." Tenten told him, leaning back to look at the masked man. The two hit it off quite well when they met, Naruko's passion for training easily matched by Lee's own. They were good for each other, Naruko's natural charisma buoying Lee's flagging confidence while his boisterous and earnest friendliness breathed some life into the girls crippled emotional state.

The scoreboard was again flickering through names, this time settling on Aburame Shino and Akado Yoroi.

"_Well this is probably going to be boring. Two Chakra Sappers going at it. But Shino will probably win, seeing as how he doesn't have to touch the opponent himself to drain their chakra."_ Naruto stared down at the two boys. She noted with a little amusement that for once Shino was not the most covered up person in the room. He had slightly more of his body exposed than his opponent, who had a purple cloth draped in front of his lower face, hiding everything from his nose down, and a purple bandana over his scalp, leaving just a pair of eyes with two monocle like sunglass lenses over his eyes visible.

* * *

"Fighters at the ready…Begin!" Hayate was quick to get out of the way as Yoroi rushed Shino, both hands stretched out to grapple the younger male. Shino stood there completely unconcerned, making no reaction, and as a result was easily grabbed and thrown to the floor, Yoroi straddling him while his hands clenched around his throat.

"Well this was easy. You didn't even put…up…a…What the hell!?" In the middle of his sentence Shino dissolved into a mass of Kikaichu that swarmed over Yoroi, biting into him and devouring his chakra. Yoroi rolled around on the ground, flailing and yelling wildly in an attempt to get free, feeling his chakra rapidly dwindle.

"What happened? Is it over already?" Shino reappeared behind the struggling Genin, hands in his pockets. "It appears that you were overconfident. Why? Because you charged in recklessly, not preparing in case your opponent anticipated you."

Naruko giggled at the show. Shino not only incapacitated his opponent with one move, but was now standing there adding salt to the wound by picking apart every mistake they made as they screamed in pain and frustration. Soon enough Yoroi's struggles faded to nothing as his chakra levels depleted enough to make him lose consciousness.

"Winner, Aburame Shino."

* * *

It seemed like people were competing for 'quickest victory', because Shino's match was just a little bit longer than the Lee's had been.

"Shino that was the laziest and most condescending fight I've ever seen." Naruko told him, laughter in her voice, as he was walking by them on his way back to his team.

"Why fix what isn't broken? You shouldn't. Unfortunately for Yoroi-San, much of his fighting technique needs fixing. I was merely helping him." It was hard to tell, but Naruko was pretty sure Shino was making as close to a joke as he ever would.

"No, no. I'm not criticizing or anything. It was just very fun to watch. You can be surprisingly mean in a fight."

Hayate said after jumping back down to the arena floor. "Well, you lot are sending me mixed signals here. That so many of you have advanced to this stage is impressive, but some of your physical abilities seem to be extremely lacking. Oh well, the next match will be Sabaku no Kankuro against Misumi Tsurugi."

Naruko cursed in her head. She had been hoping that she'd get to wail on the painted Genin. Oh well, there were still two other Suna competitors left. "Tch. You got lucky Suna. I'm rooting for you, cause I want to kick your ass myself." She said under her breath, glaring at Kankuro.

Kankuro hid his grimace, sweat beading under his hood. He really hoped he'd never have to fight the blonde. She scared him almost as much as Gaara did.

* * *

"Fighters at the ready!...Begin!"

Kankuro shrugged the giant bandaged object from his back and held it by his side. "Don't get comfortable, I'll be finishing my match quickly too."

"I won't give you the chance to do anything." Tsurugi said, darting forwards. "Victory goes to he who strikes first!"

Naruko scoffed from where she stood. What kind of thinking was that for a shinobi in a designated one on one fight. Didn't he watch Sasuke just get his ass completely handed to him? He struck first, but it was just reckless and overconfident.

Kankuro caught a back fist on his left forearm, only to be surprised as the limb bent and wrapped around him, quickly followed by the rest of Tsurugi's body. It was as if the Konoha-nin had no bones. As Tsurugi's body slithered around Kankuro, completing his submission hold, the bandaged object fell to the floor beside them.

"I can remove my joints from their hinges and use my chakra to control my loosened body. In this position I can easily break your neck. You should give up Suna-nin. As soon as I caught you, your window closed." Tsurugi said, tightening his hold on Kankuro. "Whatever tool you had wrapped up there won't be of any use if you can't reach it."

"Give up? No way, not against a weakling idiot like you. You're the one that's going to lose."

"Fine! Don't say I didn't warn you." Tsurugi tightened his hold even further, quickly snapping Kankuro's neck with a loud cracking noise.

Kankuro went limp in Tsurugi's hold. As soon as Tsurugi loosened his hold, Kankuro moved, the flesh bursting off of his body to reveal a wooden puppet underneath that quickly trapped Tsurugi in a bear hug with several cylinder like arms.

"It's my turn now." Kankuro's voice came out distorted from the puppets mouth, as the puppeteer revealed himself from the cocoon of bandages that had fallen to the side during Tsurugi's binding attack.

The arms tightened further as Kankuro flexed his fingers. "I'll extend the same offer you did. I can kill you anytime like this. I suggest you surrender."

Tsurugi struggled for a few more moments, his bones cracking under the pressure before he gave in. "I-I give…" He barely groaned out, the puppets hold having grown so strong that he couldn't breathe.

With another flex of his fingers, Kankuro's puppet released his opponent, who fell to the floor in a broken heap, barely conscious as he was carted out of the arena by the medics.

"Winner, Sabaku no Kankuro."

* * *

"_Good, I still have a chance at the guy. I'll tear his puppet into woodchips and cram them down his throat for hurting Ko-Chan!"_ Naruko yelled vindictively in her mind. On the other side of the room, Kankuro felt a chill tear down his spine as he noticed Naruko staring at him.

The scoreboard soon displayed the next participants.

"Next fighters, Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino. Please come down to the arena floor."

The two Kunoichi made their way down, Ino eyeing Sakura carefully. It was clear that the pinkette had changed since the academy. She was a lot more confident and judging by the increased musculature and build up of callous' a lot stronger than she used to be. It was making Ino more than a little nervous. Back at the Academy, the two girls were on roughly the same level of physical ability, but that was a few months ago.

Ino had gotten stronger herself, but she hadn't made any massive strides, focusing on maintaining her skills with her Clan techniques. She hadn't trained very much physically, and now she was regretting it.

"I didn't think I'd be facing you Sakura. Especially this early." Ino said cautiously. Ino was very aware of the fact that she wasn't a fighting oriented shinobi. Her trump card had always been the **Shintenshin no Jutsu (Mind Body Switch)**, but when she'd tried it on Sakura during the first test she was violently shoved out of her head with the worst headache she'd ever had.

"I hope you've been training Ino. I'm not the same girl you knew in the Academy." Sakura smirked confidently at the platinum blonde. She'd been training hard with Kurenai-Sensei ever since the woman had finally beaten her fangirl mindset out of her, and she was looking forward to testing it out on someone other than Kiba and Shino.

"Fighter's at the ready!...Begin!"

Ino threw a trio of shuriken at Sakura, jumping back to get some distance. Sakura flipped over the shuriken, flipping through a quick four hand seals, and pursued Ino, with a loud whistle.

"Suuueeeee, here piggy piggy piggy!"

Ino halted her retreat, glaring at her rival. "Shut up forehead! I'll get yo-" Ino stopped mid sentence, looking at the hand she'd jabbed out to point at Sakura. Or rather, the hoof she'd jabbed out at Sakura.

Ino let out a horrified, high pitched scream that came out as a squeal to her ears, looking down at herself to find that her body was now that of a humanoid pig. Her hoof hands flailed all over her body, trying to wipe away the visage.

"What the hell did you do to me!?" Ino looked up to find Sakura's knee now colliding with her face, sending her rolling backwards, stopping on her stomach.

"I just made your body match your name. Now you're really a pig." Sakura placed a hand on her hip, looking down at Ino who pushed herself up on all fours.

Ino growled, reaching for her equipment pouch, only to find that her hoof appendages couldn't grasp anything. This led to another frightening revelation about her current situation. Not only was she a pig woman, but she didn't have any fingers to grasp weapons or form hand seals.

"So what'dya say Ino-pig. Surrender now, and I'll change you back."

This was a Genjutsu Sakura had invented all on her own. The **Kemono ni Utsukushi-sa no Jutsu (Beauty into Beast)**. This Jutsu made her target see themselves as an animal version of whatever Sakura had in mind at the time. In this case, a pig. It was good for freaking out her enemies and disrupting their balance and fighting capability. Sakura held in a shudder from what Kurenai-Sensei had done to her in revenge for first using the Jutsu on her. It may have only taken a short moment for her to identify the illusion and break it, but she hadn't been pleased with what she experienced. Though she did end up praising Sakura for it, once she'd gotten her vengeance on the pinkette anyways.

"As if this is enough to stop me. I'll beat you and make you turn me back!" Ino was more than a little dismayed and disturbed that her voice now sounded like a pigs squeals that had somehow learned how to speak. She quickly jumped up, nearly falling over with her now unfamiliar body, and attacked Sakura with the only option left to her. Ninjutsu was out without the ability to create hand seals, she didn't know any Genjutsu, and she couldn't even hold her weapons, so she'd have to hope to overwhelm Sakura with Taijutsu.

Sakura had no difficulty fending off her attacker. Ino's Taijutsu was completely thrown off by the Genjutsu, making her attacks incredibly sloppy. It was like this was her first week of Taijutsu training all over again, as Sakura deftly blocked and parried her attacks, landing her own counters easily.

Sakura didn't waste time, not giving Ino a chance to adapt to her bodies new weight distribution, ducking under a right hook while drawing a kunai. She got behind Ino, wrapping her left arm around her, pinning one arm to her side and hugging her close to limit her movement, and placed her kunai at Ino's neck.

Ino froze when the cold steel met her skin. "So, do you surrender yet?" Sakura's warm breath hit her ear, making goose bumps rise on her skin as she nodded carefully.

"Winner, Haruno Sakura." Sakura released Ino and walked back to the stairs leading up to the balconies, whistling happily.

"So you're gonna turn me back right?" Ino followed closely behind Sakura. "Sakura?...Sakura!"

"Turn you back from what? You're not making any sense Ino."

"From this, this monster. I mean, look at-" Ino cut herself off as she glanced back down at herself, finding her body restored to its former glory, if a little beat up. Ino released a loud breath of relief. "Oh thank god." She glared at Sakura. "Don't _ever_ do that again! You know how important my body is to me!...You're enjoying this aren't you?" Ino asked in a low voice.

Sakura laughed. "I am! I really am. More than I thought I would too."

Up at the balconies, Naruko had a sulky air about her as she blew uselessly at the air.

"Naruko-Chan, what's wrong?" Hinata looked at her concernedly.

"Nothing's wrong!" Naruko said a little too quickly and forcefully, making Hinata jump slightly.

On Naruko's other side, Tenten and Lee started whistling, making Naruko's head snap around to glare at them so fast it cracked her neck. The glare made Tenten lose her tune in a fit of laughter.

"Naruko-Chan's never figured out how to whistle."

"Shut up!"

"And it vexes her so." Tenten finished as if uninterrupted.

"It's alright Naruko-Chan! As long as you keep trying, eventually, someday you'll get it! That's what you taught me!" Lee launched into an upbeat series of whistles as Hinata's quieter giggles joined Tenten's and Naruko fumed. Even Neji seemed amused at Naruko's expense.

Hayate's voice rang out again. "Sabaku no Temari and Tenten, please come to the floor."

Naruko actually growled this time. That means that there's only one Suna Genin left who hadn't fought yet.

"You alright Naruko-Chan? Whenever the Suna competitors get mentioned you get upset. Did they do something?" Tenten asked her, watching her fan wielding opponent jump over the railings.

"That Suna team was picking on Konohamaru. Kankuro was actually choking him when I found them. I still haven't gotten my pound of flesh for it yet, and now there's only one Suna Genin left for the preliminaries."

"Really?" Tenten's eyes narrowed on her opponent angrily. "Well let me go ahead and take our revenge for Ko-Chan. I'll make her regret coming here at all." Tenten hopped over the railing herself.

* * *

"Fighters at the ready!...Begin!"

Tenten tossed a kunai up and down in her palm. "So, you Suna-nin like picking on little kids huh?" Tenten glared.

Temari scowled. "That was all Kankuro. And we're all paying for it."

"But you didn't stop him did you?" Temari said nothing. "It was up to one of us to put a stop to it. Well now you have to deal with the adults. We'll get to your teammates soon enough." Tenten launched the kunai straight between Temari's eyes, quickly followed by a barrage of shuriken. With a quick flash, Temari swiped her fan in front of her, knocking all the projectiles away and returning the fan to its starting position over her shoulder.

"Hmph. Looks like you need to work on your aim."

"I was just making sure that fan wasn't just for show. Unfortunately for you, I'm probably the worst match up you could've gotten." Tenten knew very well how to fight wind users thanks to her training with Naruko. Projectiles are largely useless, get in close, and use lots of fire. It didn't work so well against Naruko because she was so skilled in close range combat, but many wind users, especially those utilizing fans of that size, were long range specialists.

Tenten pulled out one of her scrolls and unsealed a simple katana and wakizashi set, tucking them both under her arm as she ran through some hand seals, ending with tiger. Nothing seemed to happen until Tenten grabbed the swords and flicked them to either side of her, the scabbards sliding off the blades, revealing them to be encased in flames and glowing red hot.

"**Katon: Homura Dama (Burning Soul)"** Temari could feel a little bit of the heat from where she stood several meters away. Tenten spun the blades around her, the flames creating a pinwheel effect before small jets of fire launched out, arcing towards Temari.

Temari opened her fan, jumping the side while swinging the fan behind her, boosting her jump away from fiery death. "I train with a wind user all the time! And frankly, you don't stack up to her!" Tenten chased after Temari, swiping her swords at the air in front of her and sending more streams of fire after the blonde.

"**Kamaitachi no Jutsu! (Sickle Weasel)"** With a strong swing of her fan, Temari sent a powerful tornado blasting through and dispersing the thin jets of fire and tearing towards Tenten.

Reacting quickly, Tenten tossed both blades up, sending them flipping in front of her. Staying on course to Temari Tenten rolled through another set of hand seals. **"Katon: Goukakyou no Jutsu! (Great Fireball)"**

The fireball Tenten spat out met the tornado, and after a brief moment of struggle swallowed up the wind, increasing its power and continued on, roaring at Temari.

Breaking the tiger seal, Tenten caught her swords, re-igniting the blades, chasing after her fireball.

Temari cursed as she once again jumped to the side, the fireball singeing her clothes and giving her some first degree burns along her left arm and leg.

Tenten finally caught up to her opponent, pulling her into close quarters combat. Temari was forced to close her fan and use it as a makeshift staff or club to ward off Tenten's burning swords.

"This is the weakness of most of you wind users!" Tenten chopped down with the katana, simultaneously making a backswing with the wakizashi. "You think you're safe in the back, blasting away at your enemies," Tenten landed a kick to Temari's exposed stomach. "But when a fire user like me, who excels at all ranges, including close, catches you, you're almost helpless!" Temari narrowly avoided a stab to the gut, the sword tearing through her red sash and the stomach of her battledress, setting it on fire and burning her further.

Temari was in very rough shape, sweating profusely, despite her desert heritage and covered in cuts and light burns. She ducked under a scissor strike that would have taken her head and spun into a rising swing with her closed fan, catching Tenten in the gut and sending her flipping away to land on her feet several meters back. Temari quickly patted down the embers on her clothing, putting them out.

"So, how do you like my **Homura Dama (Burning Soul)**? It's quite a sensation isn't it? Cutting and burning at the same time."

Temari panted, sweat dripping from her chin and glistening off her exposed skin. Much of her clothing had been torn, sliced or burned away, leaving her in a state of near indecency, revealing a mesh undershirt that could hardly even be called clothing anymore.

"I can honestly say I've never experienced anything like it. I've seen blades of wind, earth and metal, but nothing quite like that." Temari was quickly rebuilding her opinion of Konoha-nin and their power. She had thought they were soft and weak, but so far she hadn't seen much to support this.

Temari leapt into the air releasing a loud battle cry. Her fan was above her head, being brought down on course to crush Tenten's skull. Tenten stepped back, the fan brushing the tip of her nose and slashed at Temari as soon as the fan crashed into the ground, sending dust and stone fragments flying. Temari spun into a crouch, the fire singeing a few hairs and yanked her fan into a sweeping strike at Tenten's legs, knocking the brunette on her back. Before Tenten could get back to her feet, Temari was straddling her, pushing her fan down at Tenten's neck, blocked by her swords. Temari was idly grateful for the strong chakra conductive metal casing on her weapon. If it had been made of anything weaker, it would probably be melting by now. As it was, she'd probably have to replace the delicate, chakra tempered paper portions of her fan.

"You know," Tenten grunted out, slowly being overpowered by the taller girl. "I bet all the boys here are totally turned on by now."

"No, really?" Temari said in a dry tone. "You've only just been cutting and burning off all my clothes for the entire match."

"That's your fault if you can't dodge properly." Tenten released her katana, the fire fading from the blade and the end of the now unblocked fan smacking into the floor next to her neck. Taking advantage of Temari's compromised balance and her own free hand, she punched Temari's side where she knew some of the worse burn wounds were.

"Augh!" Temari yelped in pain, rolling off of Tenten, clutching at her abused flesh. Tenten followed her, now lying on top of the blonde, between her legs, with her now flameless wakizashi pressing up under Temari's jaw and her right hand pinning the fan down. They remained like that for a few moments, Temari going extremely still under the still warm steel, staring up into Tenten's brown eyes. Neither flinched as they waited for the referee to call the match.

"Winner, Tenten."

* * *

Tenten pushed herself to her feet, extending a hand to Temari. She stared at it for a moment before taking it and being pulled to her feet.

"Yup. The boys are all _very_ turned on." Tenten commented, looking around at the faces on the balconies. Most of the spectators looked a little uncomfortable for one reason or another, most of the Genin present blushing at varying intensities. The males all seemed to be leaning forward or discretely trying to conceal their groins. There were a few exceptions of course, like Neji who didn't seem to react much at all, and Shino, whose features were mostly concealed. Anko was grinning like a mad woman, and seemed to be struggling to keep herself from bursting out in laughter.

The girls were relieved to note that all the adults looked largely unaffected. They'd all probably been exposed to far worse than some exposed flesh.

Temari was taken by the medics to get her burns treated, and Tenten made her way back up to Naruko and Lee. By the time she got up there, Naruko's face was still bright red, but Lee had managed to recover his normal disposition.

"That was amazing Tenten! Your flames of youth are burning brighter than ever before!"

"Thanks Lee." Tenten leaned closer to Naruko who had yet to notice her presence. "What do you think Naru-Chan? Think that qualifies as our pound of flesh?"

Naruko jerked, finally noticing Tenten. Her mouth opened and closed several times, but no words were formed, and her blush got a little darker. "Um..yo-…her…clothes...fire…" She trailed off with a confused whimper like noise, unable to form a cogent sentence.

The display compelled Tenten to glomp onto Naruko, squeeing at the cuteness of it all. "Oh my god, you're so adorable Naru-Chan!" This did not help Naruko's blush.

"Inuzuka Kiba and Akimichi Choji, you're up next."

* * *

"Fighters at the ready!...Begin!"

"Say Choji, why don't you be a pal and just surrender? I know you don't like fighting your friends, so you can just give up this time and try again during the next exams." Kiba offered the rotund boy. If he could get away without fighting, that'd be awesome. Choji was one of the gentlest people he knew; only beat out by Hinata in that category, so he might just pull it off.

Choji clearly wasn't looking forward to this match, with a reluctant frown on his face and a half hearted fighting stance. It looked like he might accept Kiba's proposal.

It all made Naruko very annoyed. "Choji! If you don't fight I swear to god that I'll kick your sorry ass so hard you'll kiss the moon!" She shouted at him, pointing at the ceiling. The effect was mildly diminished due to the fact that Tenten had yet to release her, but it got the job done.

Choji looked intimidated for a moment before nodding, hardening his eyes in determination. "Right! I remember now. It's a disservice to your friends if you don't fight them with everything you have! Here I come Kiba! **Baika no Jutsu! (Multi-size)**" Choji's midsection puffed out, turning him into something resembling a giant human ball as he pulled his arms and legs into his newly expanded bulk. **"Nikudan Sensha! (Human Bullet Tank)"** Choji began rolling forward, quickly building speed and momentum.

Kiba sunk into a low stance with the tiger seal. _**"Gijyuu Ninpo: Shikyaku no Jutsu (Four Legs Technique)"**_ Kiba fell down onto all fours, wisps of blue chakra flowing off of him as his nails grew into claws. Using the increased speed and agility this Jutsu granted him, Kiba was easily able to avoid Choji's attack, Akamaru clinging to his hooded head.

"_With all that bulk protecting him and the speed he's moving at, I'll need a lot of power to get through. Guess there'll be no holding back for me."_ Kiba thought to himself, flashing through a set of hand seals. **"Juujin Bunshin! (Man Beast Clone)"** Akamaru hopped off his head, transforming into a clone of Kiba.

Choji was just wheeling around for another attack when Akamaru transformed. The two Kiba's dodged to either side of the human boulder, slashing at it with their claws, only to growl in pain. The speed Choji was moving was so fast their attacks bounced off uselessly, the momentum nearly tearing the nails from their fingers.

"Okay, Akamaru, we need to wait for him to slow down, then we can make our move and take him out. We won't have many chances, so we have to make sure it counts."

Akamaru barked in agreement, kind of funny looking, seeing Kiba's body make such a high pitched 'arf' noise.

The Inuzuka team jumped up against a wall, waiting for Choji to come around again, only for him to pause in the middle of the room and push his limbs out of his bulk. He quickly formed a familiar set of hand seals. **"Baika no Jutsu! (Multi-size)"** And became large enough that his head was just below the balconies, with all limbs proportional to his size.

"Good try Kiba, but Naruko-Chan's played that card against me more times than I care to admit." Like his size, his voice got bigger and louder as well.

Naruko waved her fingers at the two of them from her perch…still being glomped by Tenten. It was rather difficult trying to damage Choji when he was in that meat tank mode, but he had a horrible tendency of just rolling towards his enemy no matter what, which could easily lead to him falling into traps and ambushes. She made sure to correct that.

"No matter, my goal was to slow you down anyways. Let's go Akamaru!" Kiba flicked two soldier pills in the air; Kiba swallowing one while Akamaru got the other, causing the dog turned human's flesh to redden. "**Gatsuuga! (Fang over Fang)**" The Inuzuka and his partner spun into flying drills that flew around the room in seemingly random patterns.

Choji settled into his stance, eyes darting from side to side in an attempt to keep track of both attackers. Soon enough, the drills arced around to target the super sized boy.

Choji's hands came up, clapping in front of his face hoping to squash both drills in one move. Unfortunately for him, he was just a little bit too slow only managing to catch one of them. The other plowed directly into his face with surprising force, sending him falling backwards, with his head colliding with and tearing through the wall. The attacker Choji managed to crush turned out to be Kiba, who fell to the floor limp and unconscious.

Choji rapidly shrunk back down to normal size as the Inuzuka drill attack ended, revealing the red skinned Kiba as the only standing participant. The transformed dog quickly resumed his puppy form, panting in exhaustion.

"Because both fighters have been rendered unconscious, neither will be advancing."

* * *

"Well that was unexpected. As soon as Choji got his multi-size Jutsu off I expected him to win. I didn't think Kiba had the power to punch through that bulk, especially not when Choji's doing his impression of a rolling boulder." Naruko said, watching the medics cart both boys off, Akamaru following behind barking.

Temari was back with her team now, the reddened skin covered in a light blue ointment and wearing a poncho her sensei had handed her.

"Hyuuga Hinata and Hyuuga Neji!"

Hinata made a timid gasp, trying to shrink into her jacket.

"Oh boy." Naruko finally wriggled out of Tenten's hold and placed a hand on Hinata's shoulder, getting her attention. "Listen Hina-Chan, it'll be alright. Just fight him as best you can. Remember why you're doing this. It's for _his_ sake too. So kick his ass for his own good alright?"

Looking a little more reassured, Hinata nodded and made her way down to the arena.

"…Neji won't hurt her too bad right?" Naruko whispered to Tenten. Naruko loved Hinata like a little sister, but Neji was hailed as the strongest Hyuuga in generations. Add that onto the fact that Hinata was so averse to violence, and it wasn't looking too good for the purple haired girl. Now, if she wasn't so averse to the family's Caged Bird seal, then she'd win this no problem, but she would never even consider that option. After all, that seal was precisely what she wanted to get rid of most from her clan.

"I don't think so…but then again, I've never seen Neji have an opportunity to fight someone from the Hyuuga main branch."

* * *

"Fighters at the ready!...Begin!"

"Before we fight, I will warn you about one thing Hinata-Sama. You should give up; you're not suited for the life of a shinobi. You are too kind. You seek harmony and avoid trouble whenever possible and have no stomach for killing. Am I wrong?"

"No, you're correct Neji-Niisan. I don't like violence, and I don't want to have to kill anyone. But this is for my dream. If I am to change the Hyuuga clan into what I believe it should be, then I must be a skilled shinobi. I will fight for my dream, and nothing you say will change that." Hinata seemed to get a burst of confidence as she spoke, falling into the Juken's basic stance and activating her Byakugan.

"Those are nothing but pretty words Hinata-Sama. People cannot change. Just as you have been a failure as compared to your sister, you will always be a failure. A failure is a failure. Their personality and power will not change. Just like it is impossible to change the fact that I am part of the branch family and you the main, it is impossible for a failure to become anything else. The Byakugan I have inherited is stronger than any seen in generations, yet I will always be subservient to the main branch, no matter how skilled or talented I am."

Naruko's grip on the iron railings tightened to the point where the metal became crushed and twisted. If she didn't have the self control she did, she probably would've torn the railing from the floor and started ranting about how much Neji was pissing her off.

"You're wrong. I will show you Neji-Niisan. I will drag the Hyuuga out of its current system kicking and screaming if I have to."

Hinata didn't give Neji the chance to respond as she darted forward with a palm thrust that was barely caught by Neji's own palm. Taking advantage of his broken footing, Hinata lashed out with several jabs at his torso damaging some of his organs.

Up in the balconies Naruko held back a grimace. Hinata could have won right there if she wasn't so gentle.

Neji jumped out of Hinata's range, landing in his own Juken stance, grimacing at the pain radiating from his abdomen and chest. Neji had heard that Hinata was becoming stronger, but he'd never quite believed it until now. The only thing he'd seen from her that might indicate a growth in strength was the severe reduction in her stuttering. She had still been the same timid girl he'd always known.

"Very well Hinata-Sama. If this is your decision, then so be it." Neji quickly activated his own Byakugan, the veins around his eyes bulging.

The two Hyuuga circled each other in a display of deadly palm strikes and precise footing. One mess up from either fighter could easily end up in a fatality. Hinata was being uncharacteristically aggressive. Usually she liked to take a reactionary role, but this time she was the one launching most of the attacks, keeping Neji on the defense. Not a bad idea, considering how skilled Neji was with the Hyuuga fighting style.

Hinata's left palm was stopped by Neji's right, quickly followed by her dropping low in a sweep kick that the prodigy jumped over. Before he could land Hinata rose with a double palm thrust at his legs, hoping to temporarily paralyze them. Typically, this maneuver called for targeting the enemies chest or abdomen, taking advantage of the enemies falling speed to hit them quickly, but that more often then not ended with severe injuries inflicted, usually fatal.

Neji took advantage of her slight hesitation, reaching down to grabbed her wrists. Using his hold he spun his body on her arms like a top and swung his legs into Hinata's head, sending her rolling.

Hinata managed to roll with the momentum back into a standing position facing away from her opponent, before having to duck, as Neji's palm thrust through the air where the back of her neck had been. As Hinata rose she thrust an elbow back, hoping to catch Neji under the chin, only to feel the sting of his palm catching the attack, simultaneously closing off one of her Tenketsu.

Hinata grunted at the pain. This was bad. Despite her early advantage with the opening blitz Neji was steadily wearing her down. She hadn't landed another solid attack since the start while he had been managing to pick off her Tenketsu one by one as she made mistakes in her attacks. Even worse, he was now behind her, where she couldn't defend herself very easily.

Hinata spun as fast as she could, but Neji was easily able to predict and follow her movements so she couldn't face him as he rapidly jabbed at the Tenketsu in the backs of her torso, legs and arms. Before he could completely disable her, Hinata was able to dodge one of his thrusts and catch his arm under hers, pinning it to her left side.

Deviating from the Juken fighting style, Hinata slammed her head backwards, ramming into Neji's lips and splitting them open. As he staggered back, Hinata took her grip on her cousin and spun him in front of her so his back was facing her.

Hinata attempted to deliver the same damage Neji had to her, but her arms were now moving far slower, the chakra flow to her shoulders and arms now cut in half. She only managed to close three of the Tenketsu points along his shoulder blades before he dove forward, catching himself on his hands and flipped over while spinning to face Hinata again.

"You are more skilled than I previously though Hinata-Sama, but you cannot defeat me. It is your fate to always be a failure. Just as it is my fate to defeat you, yet remain beneath you."

Hinata's vision was starting to swim, her disrupted chakra circulatory system making her dizzy and wreaking havoc with her balance. Not to mention the pain radiating from her own organs that had been caught by some of Neji's attacks.

Breathing heavily, Hinata stumbled forward in an attempt at renewing her attack, blood leaking from the corners of her mouth. Neji easily stopped her arm, jabbing it multiple times and completely blocking the flow of chakra through it. When Hinata swung her other arm, he repeated the counter before spinning to build momentum and slamming a palm into her collar bone, just below her neck. The force of the thrust sent Hinata flying onto her back several meters away, where she slid a few feet across the floor.

Hinata coughed up more blood, staining her cheeks and jaw with the crimson liquid.

"Call the match proctor. She won't be getting back up." Neji said, straitening up out of his stance and walking back towards the stairs as he cut off his Byakugan.

"N-no." Hinata's weak voice called out. Neji stopped, his back stiffening in annoyance. "I-" she descended into a series of wet coughs, rolling onto her belly and spat out more blood. "I'm not done yet." She managed to stagger back to her feet, groaning in pain, and shakily assumed her stance. She couldn't even keep her arms steady, but she was determined to keep going. "I'll never give up. I'm going to change the Hyuuga Clan!"

"There's no point in acting tough. You can barely stand. Just give up, there's no need to suffer any more. Let yourself go."

"How can I do that? How can I, when I know that you're suffering so much more than I ever did. You're the one who is confused and suffering with the path of the Hyuuga Clan's Branch and Main families. I have to keep going so the Hyuuga clan can be fixed. The two sides brought together!" Hinata charged, despite her Juken being neutralized.

Neji grunted, not bothering to take up his stance again. "This is foolishness Hinata-Sama." He caught a palm thrust at his face, deftly catching another that was aiming for his stomach at the same time. Hinata rolled her wrists, grabbing Neji's own and pulled him towards her, while she leapt into a knee strike. The attack caught him just between the eyes, rocking his head back and making him stumble backwards.

Hinata seized the chance and kept pace with her vulnerable cousin, unleashing an onslaught of punches. A punch to gut bent Neji over, quickly followed by an uppercut to open his gut open to another punch. Hinata ended her gambit with a sweep kick that flowed into a back flip where she landed with her left knee in his stomach.

Hinata drew a kunai and was just turning to place it at Neji's neck when his legs shot up to wrap around her neck and toss her off of him. Hinata managed to roll into a kneel just in time to catch a palm strike between the eyes, the chakra spike knocking her out instantly.

Before she could fall over onto the floor, Naruko had darted behind her, catching her and frantically checking for a pulse, ignoring the blood that spilled on her hands. Juken strikes to the head were incredibly dangerous, ninety nine times out of a hundred leading to death. Finding a steady pulse, Naruko breathed a sigh of relief.

"Winner, Hyuuga Neji!"

Naruko glared at him as the medics gently took Hinata away. "You didn't have to aim for the head. You could have killed her." Her voice was low, and though the smile on her face remained, her tone was pinched with anger.

"She should have just forfeited at the start and spared herself the suffering." Neji waved off a medic who was approaching him.

Naruko examined the blood on her hands. "Should we ever fight Neji-San…I promise that I'll win, and make you believe in Hinata just like I do."

Hayate ignored them as he watched the scoreboard settle on the next pair.

"The last match will be between Uzumaki Naruko and Sabaku no Gaara."

Well, that brought Naruko's mood up slightly. She'd get to vent some on her fellow Jinchuuriki. She wondered if he'd be a good challenge for her. Gaara wordlessly appeared in a swirl of sand, arms still crossed but a bloodthirsty look in his eyes.

Shikamaru just released a loud breath of relief. Ever since Hinata's fight had been decided upon he had been going crazy in his head. His only options were to fight either Gaara, who he was sure would probably kill him, Naruko who would make him wish would him, or advancing without a fight. He sure lucked out.

* * *

"Fighters at the ready!...Begin!"

Naruko blasted forward, becoming a blur and kicking up dust and chunks of stone in her wake. She launched a kick aimed at Gaara's left temple, only for it to be caught by his sand, the force of it sending it out in an explosion towards a startled Gaara. Naruko quickly darted away from him, moving in randomized patterns about the arena as Gaara tried in vain to keep track of her.

"I was hoping that I'd get matched with your brother, but I guess I'll have to settle for you for now! Let's see how Suna's Jinchuuriki matches up against me!" Naruko charged Gaara again, attacking from all sides with punches and kicks that sent his sand exploding from the impact site.

Gaara's sand thrashed wildly, managing to intercept all of her attacks before they reached the red headed boy. After nearly a minute of this, Gaara managing to calm himself and get used to the fact that Naruko was so fast, she came to a halt at her starting point, hands hooked into her jacket pockets with her thumbs on the outside.

"Is this all you can do Gaara? Stand there and make your sand do everything? Cause that's pretty pathetic."

"The whimpers of a weakling. You're blood will make mother happy, and your death will prove my existence."

"Just who the hell is 'mother'? And if you need my death to prove your existence, then I guess I have nothing to worry about at all. Cause you don't even exist. I guess this is just regular 'ol practice for me."

Gaara crossed his arms, sending a wave of sand crashing towards her. The force of it pulverized the stone she'd been standing on, fracturing the large tiles. Gaara scowled at seeing the absence of his target.

"Did you get me?"

Naruko was now behind Gaara, hands still in her pockets. "No? Well, how about I give you more targets. Maybe that'll help you hit me." She brought her hands out of her pockets and into a cross seal.

"_**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."**_ Naruko's began forming in a continuous stream from Naruko, who all adopted Naruko's hit and run tactic, filling the arena floor with gold, orange and purple blurs. The original Naruko stayed where she was, leaning against the wall and watching things unfold.

Gaara's sand was now nearly a sphere all around him that was constantly denting and being repaired all over. Gaara seemed to be losing his composure as his head swiveled madly, trying to track his enemies.

Finally Gaara let out a yell. **"Suna Shuriken! (Sand Shuriken)"** Shuriken made from sand and hardened with chakra shot out from the sand wall at a rapid rate. The widespread attack continued until he managed to destroy all of the clones, the missing projectiles swinging back towards Gaara managing to catch some of the clones by surprise.

"You see Uzumaki? This is my power. Any attack you make will be stopped by my sand, even if I don't know it's coming. I will kill you and present your blood to mother!"

"Your power?" Naruko's cheerful voice rang out, as she walked back into the center of the ring. "Those were just some one hit clones you managed to defeat, yet you seem to think that's some sort of decisive victory. I am not impressed." Naruko made a legion of Shadow Clones behind her, nearly filling the floor space. "The sand protects you from any attack you say. But what happens when the sand can't reach you to protect you."

"I don't know what you're planning, but it's useless. Hurry up and try."

"You asked for it."

One Naruko charged Gaara, his sand quickly making a wall that the blond ran into with a spear hand strike, punching straight through the sand barrier up to her shoulder and stopping with her palm facing Gaara, nearly touching his chest. **"Koshi-Sen! (Photon Beam)"** The white laser blasted into Gaara's chest at point blank range, carrying him all the way back into the wall where a shower of dust, sand, and wall chunks exploded outward.

The sand quickly crushed the clones arm, popping it from existence and raced to Gaara, hovering around him protectively.

The arena was silent for a few moments other than the shocked gasps and frantic muttering from the Suna-nin.

"Still alive Gaara? Don't keep a girl waiting. It's rude ya know." Naruko's arms were crossed, as she shifted her weight onto her left leg, the upbeat and unconcerned tone serving to reinforce the shock in the representatives from Suna.

The dust settled to reveal Gaara with what looked to be chunks of sand cracking off of his face, leaving him looking like a porcelain statue that had been fixed with glue, cracks running all along his face.

"So you _are_ still in this. Good, that means I get to hit you some more." _"And you're right where I want you."_

Another Naruko darted forward, this time causing the sand to attack her rather than just block her. Just before the sand crushed her, the clone formed a cross seal and created another clone. Right behind the sand wall.

Gaara's eyes widened as the clone charged him while he didn't have much sand left defending him. The clone rammed into Gaara, and darted to the side, barely dodging the sand wave and putting her in clear view of the original Naruko and the rest of the clones.

The clone shoved Gaara towards them, and when her palm was about an inch away from his back, unleashed another **Koshi-Sen (Photon Beam)**, sending him rocketing away just as the sand crushed the clone. Because the clone was killed so quickly the beam was weakened, and ended far quicker than the first one had.

The majority of the clones were now racing forward, making Gaara brace himself for the oncoming barrage of attacks. He was surprised when they all ran past him, leaving him flying straight at the original.

The clones all came to a stop with their hands in the snake seal. **"Futon: Daitoppa! (Great Breakthrough)"** The doors to the room all slammed open as a hurricane of wind began tearing through the room, ruffling everyone's hair and clothing. The wind collided with the sand, dispersing the grains and blasting them backwards.

As this was happening, Naruko was crouched down and just as Gaara reached her rose into the attack she'd first used against Sanada Kojuro back in the capital all those years ago. With her legs in a full one hundred and eighty degree split, she combined the power of both her legs into one kick connecting with his stomach and launching Gaara straight up, well above the balconies and shaking multiple chunks of his sand armor off. **"Tamashi O Shojun! (Ascending Soul)"** The power in the kick caused him to gag up a splash of blood, which Naruko avoided and jumped after the ascending red head.

Two shadow clones had jumped just as the kick connected, rising with Gaara between them.

"**Tengoku no Mon! (Gate of Heaven)"** The clones on either side of Gaara both kicked him at the same time, connecting just under his neck and nearly crushing his sternum.

The original Naruko was now spinning in a rapid somersault above them, building momentum and power before extending her right leg into a heel drop. **"Datenshi! (Falling Angel)" **Her heel drop connected right on the top of his skull, passing between her clones and sending Gaara rocketing into the floor, creating a large crater.

Not waiting for the dust to settle, Naruko thrust both palms down, forming a large ball of holy energy that lanced down at the prone Suna-nin. **"Koshi-Sen! (Photon Beam)"**

"Gaara!" Naruko was vaguely aware of the Suna-nin's cries of worry and fear.

Just before the beam connected, several streams of sand managed to form a thin shield, taking the edge off the attack.

Naruko's body followed after the white beam, landing with her knees on either side of the boy, cracking the floor with a loud thud and straddling his chest with the tip of her wakizashi at his neck, pressing down hard enough that blood began to bead at the point of contact. Gaara was weakly staring up at her, pain, fear and a piercing loneliness in his eyes. It struck a painful chord in Naruko, one that she wished she didn't have.

"Proctor?" Her Shadow Clones keeping the bulk of Gaara's sand back were running on empty. If the match didn't get called soon she'd have to start all over again in getting Gaara into a vulnerable position.

"Winner, Uzumaki Naruko!"

In a loud rush of pops, the clones all dispelled themselves, ending the localized wind storm and allowing the sand the rush back to Gaara. Naruko backed away from the Suna-nin as his team jumped down to fuss over him.

"Gaara! Are you alright!?" Temari attempted to get closer to the boy, but the sand pushed her back as the he shakily got back up, the sand helping him.

"You know Gaara, you should really give your sibling's a chance. It's not that difficult to see that they care about you."

Gaara stared back at her silently, ignoring his teams words.

* * *

Hayate gathered the victorious Genin down on the battle scarred arena floor. "This concludes the preliminary rounds of the third test. One month from now, those of you who won your matches, or lucked out in advancing without a match, will compete in a tournament style series of one on one fights. As I approach you, you will reach into this box," He shook a small blue box with a hole cut in the top. "And draw a number, determining the order in which you will fight."

The matches were as follows:

Round 1 – Uzumaki Naruko vs Hyuuga Neji

Round 2 – Rock Lee vs Kankuro

Round 3 – Tenten vs Sakura Haruno

Round 4 – Nara Shikamaru vs Aburame Shino

"You will all be expected to keep a record of how you spend this month, which will be turned in to your Jounin sensei who will forward it to your village's judges and or Kage per their discretion." The judges for the third stage were comprised of members from each village that had made it so far for evaluation. It could hardly be expected that a foreign village was the only determiner for whether your shinobi were promoted or not after all.

"I hope you all were paying attention to the abilities of your fellow competitors and prepare accordingly. Once all participants have been deemed ready by our medics, we will depart for the village."

* * *

**End Chapter!**

**Kemono ni Utsukushi-sa no Jutsu (Beauty into Beast) – C-Rank Genjutsu invented by Haruno Sakura. This Genjutsu makes the target perceive themselves as a humanized version of whatever animal the caster has in mind (This requires a decent amount of knowledge of the actual features of the creature.) The new body tends to disorient the victim with the extreme change in body weight and weight distribution, hindering all combat capability.**

**Katon: Homura Dama (Burning Soul) – B-Rank Ninjutsu invented by Tenten. This Jutsu coats items the user is grasping with fire nature chakra, causing them to become hot to the touch, even igniting the surface into flames depending on the chakra and control of the user. At advanced stages, the user can catapult streams or balls of fire at their target from a short distance with the momentum of their attacks and through manipulation of their chakra. This Jutsu is best used with metallic objects as flammable materials will burn away. The Jutsu will quickly fade if grip is lost on the object. (Taken and modified from Rurouni Kenshin)**

**I know, I know, I'm late and I apologize, but hey! At least it's a nice long chapter this time (around 13k words), so maybe you'll forgive me.**

**I was once again struck by laziness and procrastination this week. And this one was difficult to write because I kept having to research into characters fighting styles/abilities. I think setting deadlines for myself has started to make writing this feel more like homework rather than the hobby that it is.**

**I'm sure everyone noticed, I took out Hayate's mysterious cough cause it annoys me and is completely irrelevant to everything ever. If a cause had ever been revealed it would probably be different, but that's not the case.**

**Also, does anyone have any suggestions for what to call 'Holy Energy', cause I feel like it's getting redundant using that phrase every time Naruko uses one of the techniques the Mastermune taught her.**

**Also also, Omake/Parody…thing… Can you figure out what it's from?**

Naruko grinned darkly as she was set to fight Neji in the first match. Her gaze was fixed on the Hyuuga boy, making him stare right back.

"I am going to tear you apart pretty boy."

Neji was about to scoff when Tenten interrupted him. "Dude, you are _so_ over." She waved her hand dismissively.

Neji frowned. "I can take her." He said confidently.

"No." Tenten said with laughter in her voice, shaking her head with no hesitation or doubt.

"You are aware of what I'm capable of right?"

"I've got a pretty good idea."

"And?"

"Dude, you are _so_ over." She once again waved her hand in dismissal.

"Not to mention he's pissed off everyone that was in Hinata's graduating class. We all love that girl." Naruko stated, drawing attention to all the rookies, who were indeed glaring at Neji. Even Shino. Not to mention Kurenai-sensei, who was practically shooting fire out of her eyes.

"Dude, now you are _so_ over I don't even wanna stand near you!" Tenten said, backing away and waving her hands as if warding off evil.

Neji was getting a very bad feeling about all this.

**So, please review and let me know how I did treat it like an introduction; things you liked, things you hated, what sorts of things you hope to see in future chapters. (How did I do with the fights in particular?) All Feedback, constructive criticism and questions welcome!**


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